 In the Civil War, Fort Bravo is a prison camp for captured southerners. Its isolated position and unfriendly natives make escape almost impossible, but anyone who tries is always brought back by by-the-book Captain Roper. A group of prisoners hatch a plot to get away by bringing in a southern belle to distract the Captain. The plan seems to work, but the inhospitable desert, the murderous Indians, and - most importantly - the Colonel apparently wronged in love mean that this is only the start.