The Mississippi is at record levels and New Orleans is threatened by the flooding. Also, ,killer Rogue Donovan escapes after killing his guards. Rogue is making his way through the forest and spots an Army wagon that has stopped to make repairs. The wagon has a Gatling gun in it. When Lt. Caron protests, Rogue shoots him and tells the other two men to tell Yancy to come looking for him. They run off and Rogue drives off in the wagon.
At the New Orleans docks, workers are placing sandbags against the rising waters. John and Fry arrive and Fry warns that he doesn't know how long the barricade will help. Colonel Whitehead is pouring in soldiers above the line, and John has received word that Fort Worth is evacuating. Yancy and Pahoo arrive, and John tells them that the 59' crest will reach New Orleans at 9 that night. The gambler advises John to evacuate the city in the remaining ten hours, just as Fry gets a message. John reluctantly orders the evacuation, and Fry tells him that Lt. Carson and his detail were ambushed, Carson was killed, and Rogue took the gun. The city administrator says that it will have to wait, and reminds Yancy that he sent Rogue to prison and Rogue will come after him.
Back on Bourbon Street, Yancy and Pahoo help Francine and her girls evacuate the club. Yancy tells Francine that the Sultana is safely moored in a harbor. Obadiah is there and suggests that they redirect the river by dynamiting the levee like they did in '63. Pahoo and Obadiah drive them off.
When Yancy returns to the docks, he tells John about the plan to blow open the levee and redirect the Mississippi to the lake at Waterproof. That will take the pressure off of New Orleans, passing the city to the east. John warns that Waterproof was bought up by Lady Charity Grayson, and she has a large sugar plantation there. Charity is British so her lands weren't plundered by the Union. Yancy, John, and Fry ride there to convince Charity to evacuate.
When the three men arrive, they check the land and John points out that blowing the levee will destroy the lands and plantation. They go to the plantation house and find Charity waiting with armed men. Yancy introduces himself and the others, and she orders them off her land. She knows why they're there, and John assures her that she'll be reimbursed. Charity refuses to leave and shoots John in the leg. Yancy and Fry are forced to drive into the Mississippi to escape. When they swim ashore, Fry goes to get soldiers and supplies. Yancy tells Fry that he'll rescue John and if necessary, Fry should blow the levee.
Charity and her men take John to the plantation house, and find Rogue there with the Gatling gun. He takes their guns and John tells Charity who her visitor is. She orders Rogue to get out, and he slaps her. Rogue knows who John is, and says that he heard their plan to blow the levee. He tells Charity that she should be thankful that he's there, because he's going to hole up there with John as his hostage. Rogue figures that the Gatling gun will stop the soldiers coming, and Charity admits that she wants them stopped. She apologizes for being so inhospitable, and John tells Rogue that if they don't blow up the levee then Rogue will be responsible for the deaths of countless women and children. Rogue tells him to worry about his own death.
Yancy goes to the Sultana where Pahoo is waiting, and sends him to go to Waverly and bring back two horses while he changes clothing. Once Pahoo returns, the two men ride to the plantation house.
Rogue removes the bullet and admires John's resistance to pain. Charity says that she didn't shoot to kill, but admits that she knows how. Rogue assures her that no one but an Indian can get to the house given that they command the field of fire. Charity sees Yancy and Pahoo ride up and opens fire. They take cover and Rouge takes the crank and opens fire when Charity says that Yancy is one of the men. Yancy and Pahoo move off, and Charity warns Rogue that if they get around the house then they'll outflank them. She tells Rogue to kill them or they'll lose the gun and everything will go. Rogue tells her to watch the levee while he backtracks Yancy and Pahoo. Before he goes, Rogue warns Charity that if she tries any tricks, he'll kill her. Charity insists that they're fighting for the same thing, but he says that he's fighting for revenge and freedom, and she's just greedy.
Fry and the soldiers arrive and soon drive off Charity's men. Meanwhile, Rogue gets the drop on Yancy, but Pahoo gets the drop on Rogue. Rogue hands over his gun and they head for the house.
Charity guns down the first soldiers who try to plant the dynamite on the levee. Fry orders the others to bring up a cannon.
When Yancy and the others get to the house, Charity threatens to shoot John unless they surrender. They do so and Charity orders him to kill anyone on the levee. Yancy tells Charity that she won't get away with it, and tells Pahoo to go to Fry and tell him that Yancy and John will die if anyone approaches the levee... and to say that the order came from Rogue. Yancy signs to Pahoo and Charity suspects a trick.
Once Pahoo leaves, Yancy tells Charity that tens of thousands of people will die despite the evacuation. Charity says that they're all trying to survive and it's everyone man for himself. Yancy removes his hat and tosses it near Rogue, who sees the gun hidden inside. Charity insists that she didn't want to kill anyone and wishes that they had just left her alone.
Pahoo reaches Fry and signs to them to fire regardless of the hostages. Fry orders the soldiers to do so.
John tells Charity that she's ceased to be a human being and they all face death. She can either meet death nobly and possibly save lives, or die disgracefully. Charity refuses and Yancy tosses the blade hidden in his riding crop at her. She ducks and Rogue goes for Yancy's gun and shoots her. Charity wounds him as she goes down, and Fry fires the cannon. Yancy pulls John down as the house collapses, and Fry orders his men to dynamite the levee.
Yancy digs out Rogue and discovers that he's mortally wounded. Rogue tells him that Yancy can't carry him and John, and John tells Yancy that he'll make it and Yancy should carry Rogue. The prisoner says that he won't make it and tells his "friend" to go before the levee goes up. Yancy wonders why he did it, and Rogue figures that he might as well go out in style. John blesses him, and Rogue dies.
Fry lights the dynamite and runs. The flood waters surge into the lake, and Yancy gets John to safety as the waters wipe out the plantation. Pahoo soon finds them at the water's edge and pulls them to safety. They take John to the Sultana and Francine tends to his wound. The crest has passed and the water is falling. Fry arrives and reports that New Orleans is safe and the evacuees are returning.
Written by Gadfly on Aug 21, 2017