In this adaptation of the 1951 musical by the same name, California prospectors Ben Rumson (Lee Marvin) and Sylvester "Pardner" Newell (Clint Eastwood) try to tame their gold fever by sharing Ben's wife (Jean Seberg). To help the rest of the male-dominated town keep their hands off his property, Ben kidnaps a stagecoach full of working girls on their way to a nearby town and sets up a brothel. As business booms, so does the competition for gold.