SANTA FE TRAIL is a western dealing with the pre-Civil War period of Kansas and John Brown's raids. It depicts the battle of Fort Leavenworth, aka "bloody Kansas," during the days leading up to the civil war. Calvary officers are given the duty of capturing abolitionist John Brown (Raymond Massey) and his crew. Errol Flynn plays West Point cadet J. E. B. Stuart, the man assigned to the dangerous mission, along with George Armtrong Custer (Ronald Reagan), and four other friends who also just graduated from West Point.