Still recovering after his throw from a bull named Sunshine, Junior Bonner (McQueen), a drifting rodeo star, is on his way to Prescott, Arizona to join his family for the Frontier Days Celebration. When he arrives, however, he finds his house abandoned and learns that his father, Ace (Preston), is hospitalized.

Despite medical orders, Ace joins the rest of his family at the Frontier Days Parade and rodeo festivities to watch Junior challenge Sunshine once again, but this time, Bonner is determined to beat the bull so that his father’s dream of building a ranch in Australia can become a reality.