Youngsters Tom O'Neal and Ellen Howard are in love on the wagon train and each has a desire to be married. Both have parents that have their own problems which has affected the kids. Ellen's mother died when she was 10 and her father, Dr. Howard, has replaced his wife with Ellen. Tom's parents did marry at a young age but the marriage has been mostly bickering between the two of them in an unhappy marriage. While riding with Chris, Tom asks for his help in asking the parents for permission to marry Ellen to which Chris agrees. However, when Tom asks Dr. Howard for his daughter's hand, Dr. Howard bursts out in laughter believing the idea is absurd. The embarrassed Tom runs away and Ellen goes to her wagon to cry. Both sets of parents feel the two kids are too young and Dr. Howard does apologize to Tom. Tom and Ellen decide to elope at a town a bit over a day's ride from the wagon train. Tom steals some money from his parents which upsets Ellen and the pair soon find themselves in the raw west which overwhelms them.
—Anonymous