In the wake of the failed wedding, Phoebe Ann is sent to Texas to lie low until the scandal blows over. Sam Hollis (Dean Martin), a trek guide, and his Indian sidekick Kronk (Joey Bishop) hire Don Andrea as an additional escort because the Army refuses to provide troops for their latest job until Texas has become an official part of the Union. Along the way, Hollis and Andrea, whom Hollis nicknames "Baldy", get into a clash of cultures, but also end up rescuing Indian maiden Lonetta (Tina Aumont) from getting ritually killed by a Comanche medicine man (Richard Farnsworth). At the same time, the Comanches under their chief, Iron Jacket (who is named after his Spanish breastplate) (Michael Ansara), and his inept son Yellow Knife (Linden Chiles) prepare an attack on Phoebe Ann's wagon train and the other settlers in the area. Hollis and Kronk join the trek, where Hollis becomes romantically interested in Phoebe Ann, and despite his lack of social graces gradually manages to win her heart.