Western
United States of America
In Cattle Empire, John Cord (played by Joel McCrea) is the trail boss who is released from prison after being convicted of being responsible for the destruction of a town by his drunken cowboys. Faced with few job prospects, he is eventually hired by the leading citizen of the same town, Angus McVay (played by Don Haggerty), to drive the town's cattle to Fort Clemson for sale.
However, Cord's job becomes complicated when a rival cattle baron, Clay Mathews (played by Robert Middleton), hires him to lead his own herd of cattle to Fort Clemson at the same time. Mathews does this in an attempt to sabotage McVay and gain the upper hand in the cattle market.
Cord initially tries to convince Mathews to back out of his scheme, but ultimately decides to honor both contracts and lead both herds of cattle. Along the way, he faces a variety of challenges, including dangerous river crossings, hostile Native American tribes, and Mathews' attempts to sabotage him.
As the two herds approach Fort Clemson, tensions rise between Cord, who feels a sense of loyalty to McVay and the town that gave him a second chance, and Mathews, who will stop at nothing to come out on top. Eventually, Cord must make a difficult decision that will determine the fate of both cattle herds and the future of the cattle empire.
