The four adult sons of Katie Elder – John, who is a famous professional gunman; Tom, a professional gambler; Bud, the youngest brother, in his first year at mining college; and Matt, an unsuccessful hardware dealer – reunite in their hometown of Clearwater, Texas (though the real town is 107 miles (172 km) east of Dallas in northeast Texas, the movie's version is obviously set in southwestern Texas), in 1898 for their mother's funeral, sharing regret that none of them has lived up to her high expectations of them.
The townspeople and new deputy sheriff are unwelcoming, to John and Tom in particular. Katie Elder, however, was loved by everyone in the community, who were all aware of her honesty, her poverty, her generosity and her undying love for the sons who neglected her.