A wagon train traveling in 1870 toward Fort Lafayette is attacked by Apaches led by the savage warrior Pope, and the seven survivors--all women--take refuge in a cave. Led by the courageous Mary Ann, the women set out across the Arizona desert without horses, food, or weapons. At the fort, when the wagon train fails to arrive, scout Gus McIntosh suggests that the Army send troopers disguised as hunters to rescue any possible survivors. By the time the patrol reaches the women, now six in number, they are in danger of being ambushed. McIntosh leads them to the safety of an Indian burial ground and then joins the patrol for the attack. Pope's warriors kill all the men except McIntosh, who, though wounded, makes his way back to the women's hiding place. As they start once more on their journey, Pope readies his braves for the final assault. But his chief, White Cloud, prevents the attack and grants the women and McIntosh an escort in recognition of their courage.