Eastern attorney Ranson Stoddard (James Stewart) heads to the wild West in search of a new life. He settles in the small town of Shinbone where he meets up with Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin). Valance is as bad a villain as there ever was, and his dastardly deeds are financed by an evil conglomerate resolute on stopping the territory from gaining statehood. When Valance beats Stoddard to a bloody pulp, Stoddard is rescued by rancher Tom Doniphon (John Wayne). Tom helps Ranson to a nearby restaurant where owner Hallie (Vera Miles) who patches him up and gives him a job as table server. Valance and his sadistic sidekicks delight in berating the hapless waiter, branding him as "yellow." Once again, Tom comes to the rescue when Ranson is tripped by Valance and spills his food. Ranson's only allies appear to be Hallie, Tom, and a dipsomaniac newspaper publisher named Dutton Peabody (Edmund O'Brien. When Peabody prints an article which advocates statehood, he is beaten by Valance and his vermin and his printing office is wrecked. Having stood by and watched the action long enough, Stoddard places his lawyer's shingle in front of the newspaper office. This sets the stage for a showdown between the lawless Valance and the lawful Stoddard, while Tom waits in the wings and watches. Film is directed by John Ford.