Chance Buckman (John Wayne) is the owner of a company that specializes in putting out fires at oil wells when they ignite. He and his partner Greg Parker (Jim Hutton) have to be available at a moment's notice to combat a serious problem as companies rely on their expertise to stop the massive loss of oil when a fire breaks out. This schedule, coupled with the idea that Chance uses explosives around fire and oil, convince his wife Madelyn (Vera Miles) that this is no life to live. She's always afraid when she says goodbye to him that he will not come back again. So she decides to divorce him. However, Chance's daughter Tish (Katharine Ross), loves the dangerous thrill and wants to be where the action is. There she meets and falls in love with her father's partner Greg.
