The meeting between Mace Bowman, a real cowboy, and Tex McMullen, a professional roper with a Wild West Show, is accidental -- but it will be the first of many more to come. Both claim to be the best steer-roper and bronc-buster in the West. There's a show coming up and Mace -- known by most as Long Rope -- intends to challenge McMullen for the title. The one good thing that happens to Mace in this less-than-friendly encounter is making the acquaintance of Shorty Joe Barfoot, who tells him about a wild horse. They call the stallion Whistling Rufus -- and he's free for the taking, since no man has been able to take him. Mace Bowman isn't the type of man to back down from a challenge -- and he's just been handed two in a row!