While surveying a telegraph line in 1861, Western Union engineer Edward Creighton (Dean Jagger) is severely injured in an accident. He is discovered by Vance Shaw (Randolph Scott), an outlaw on the run from a posse. Forced to travel on foot after his horse was hurt, Shaw at first considers stealing Creighton's horse, but changes his mind and takes the man with him, saving his life.
Sometime later, following his recovery, Creighton returns to Omaha, Nebraska and plans the construction of a telegraph line from Omaha to Salt Lake City, Utah. Facing considerable opposition to the line from Confederate soldiers, Indians, and outlaws, Creighton elicits the help of his sister Sue (Virginia Gilmore), foreman Pat Grogan (Minor Watson), and assistant Homer Kettle (Chill Wills).
Looking to put his outlaw past behind him, Shaw arrives at Creighton's Western Union office looking for honest work and is hired as a scout by Grogan who is unaware of his past. Creighton recognizes him among the men and allows him to stay despite his suspicions. Creighton also hires tenderfoot Richard Blake (Robert Young), a Harvard-educated engineer as a favor to Blake's father. Shaw and Blake are both attracted to Sue and vie for her attention, but their romantic rivalry is cut short when construction of the telegraph line starts on July 4, 1861.
After work commences on the line, one of the men is killed apparently by a mysterious band of cattle-rustling Indians. Unconvinced that Indians are to blame, Shaw rides out to investigate and follows the rustlers' trail to the camp of Jack Slade, a former friend and cohort, whose gang committed the killing disguised as Indians—the gang Shaw left following his last bank robbery. Slade reveals that they are working for the Confederacy to disrupt Western Union because they believe the telegraph service will help the Union. Shaw rides away and returns to the line. Not wanting to turn in his former friends, Shaw tells Creighton that a large band of Dakota Indians stole the cattle, and recommends that they simply replace the herd and not risk a fight with the Indians.
Sometime later, a confrontation takes place between men working on the forward line and a band of drunken Indians. When one of the Indians tries to steal some equipment, a nervous Blake shoots him, ignoring Shaw's order to remain calm. After word arrives that the main camp is under attack by other Indians, the Western Union men rush back to help with the defense. At the main camp, Slade's men, who are again disguised as Indians, steal the Western Union horses. The company discover the ruse when one of the wounded Indians turns out to be a white man. Forced to buy back their stolen horses from Slade, Creighton becomes suspicious of Shaw's involvement, especially when he admits to knowing the gang.
Soon the U.S. Army arrives and announces the Indians have now refused to allow the telegraph lines to go through their territory in response to Blake's shooting of the drunken Indian. Creighton, Shaw, and Blake ride out to convince Chief Spotted Horse to allow them to build the line through Indian territory, even though the man Blake wounded was Spotted Horse's son. Creighton is finally able to persuade the Indians to allow them passage, and work continues until the company approaches Salt Lake City.
Sometime later, Shaw receives word that Jack Slade wants to meet with him. On the way to see Slade, Shaw is captured and bound by Slade's men. Slade says his group is going to burn down the Western Union camp and they don't want Shaw to interfere. After Slade and his men ride off, Shaw escapes from his ropes but arrives back too late to prevent the fire. He helps rescue some of the Western Union men from the flames and burns his hands in the process.
After the fire, Creighton confronts Shaw for an explanation, but Shaw does not reveal what he knows and is fired by Creighton. As Shaw leaves the camp, he tells Blake that Slade is actually Shaw's brother and that he, Shaw, will find Slade's gang and stop them from interfering with the telegraph project. Shaw rides off and finds Slade and his men in a nearby town. At the barber shop, Shaw confronts his brother, whose gun is concealed under the barber's sheet. Slade shoots Shaw through the sheet. Shaw fights back in spite of his wound, killing some of the gang members, and then dies. Blake arrives and continues the fight with Slade who dies from his wounds. Soon after, the Western Union line is completed and the workers celebrate. When Sue laments the absence of Shaw, Creighton tells her that Shaw can hear them.
咱就是说...贾玲和朱一龙好不容易谈个恋爱还be了，这男主死得毫无必要啊...喜欢爷爷奶奶这对，哭死我了呜呜呜。甜甜也参演了，好惊喜ww唱的歌也很好听！（强烈吐槽雨中拥抱这个戏，我不理解，在电影院看得我满脸问号脚趾抓地，就这？这就好了？这就？嗯？？？？
转场和故事衔接还可以，导演还是有点想法在里面的，但是编剧换了吧，没有爱情就拍不了电影了么？编剧恋爱脑实锤了，尬得我只想暴击快进键！但凡不是有中国医生和那年跨年看得地球最后一晚，我都给不到两分这么高
我觉得可以不要拍抗疫片了 有点审美疲劳了... 电影主题很正，但真的觉得和别的没啥区别
笑点和泪点都有，就是和之前一系列抗疫类似，大疫情下的生活虽然艰辛也充满温馨。故事太多显得有点不集中，要是就嗑女追男或者老年人的爱情会不会好点？2021年结束了，希望抗疫战争快点全面胜利！一切不好都留在旧的一年吧…
因为有现实背景而更加感人，黄渤、贾玲演技很赞。
如果后面没有那两个角色的陡然变故，这个电影可能只值1分，节奏太差了
一转眼离疫情爆发居然已经两年了 是需要一部这样的片子带我们回忆那个时期的悲喜离合 这样才会更加珍惜拥有吧 感恩所有奋战在一线的医护和志愿者们
剧情太碎了，感觉就跟为了完成任务似的，这么好的题材就这么敷衍了事
整体不怎么好看。不如看B站混剪…
真没必要每条线都加感情戏的
愿悲伤不再，愿山河无恙！20220313吉林新增本土确诊1412例，最近疫情又开始反复，啥时候是个头啊，哎……
记，武汉封城两周年.其实如果没有准备好，题材和历史就在那里，不会变质也不会遗忘，我们可以等到准备好了再拍.
假装不用力、不狗血地展开了几条线，其实都成了浮光掠影，无法感觉到一种真切的情感，反而觉得周冬雨啊，天生就是吃这行饭的，很有灵气。
突出的是奉献、牺牲、互助等等这些温暖的一面。只能说体现了疫情的一个侧面。两个老年人的爱情最感动我。其他几个有比较尴尬的部分。3.5分吧。
抗疫片里逻辑性最差的一部 不过也有感动点
黄渤不愧是演技派，每一个动作都演绎的淋漓尽致
为贾玲跟黄渤还有两个老戏骨点赞！方言版让我听的更舒服，真正的历经的武汉人不敢看，我这样回不去的武汉人哭的稀里哗啦，一点没煽情，就是不停地想哭。老医生上人工肺的时候真的忍不住。太多这样的医生了。朱一龙跟贾玲很搭很搭。就是受不了徐帆，身上完全没有武汉人气息了。
“扑通花版”是片子的最大debuff，搞得就像春晚小品剧场版plus，显得每个人都在端着演。汉腔版就不同了，码头文化就该有码头文化的样子。
连行活儿的标准都没达到，影帝影后演起戏来都显得很轻浮，本应是含着深情的台词被随意念起。没有生活体验，没有细心钻研，只能利用夸张的方式掩盖自己无法共情的真相。更像一群人完成了一个任务，至于好坏并不重要。
纪录片不像纪录片 电影不像电影，看的很乏味。
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