Plot
In the early 1900s, Buffalo Bill visited Italy on a tour of his traveling Wild West Show, bringing the myth of American cowboys to Italy. During a show in Rome, he was challenged by Ercole Rupè, a local squire who ran a butteri club, who claimed his butteri were more skilled than Bill's cowboys. However, Rupè decided to bet on the American and asked his butteri to lose on purpose, but the talented Santino refuses and wins the challenge. Rupè is engaged to a charming young French woman, Rosa, whom he constantly abuses and insults. After winning the challenge and losing the bet, Rupè reaches out to Santino and witnesses him approaching Rosa. In a rage, Rupè insults and beats his girlfriend and threats Santino, but is killed by a gunshot fired by Rosa.
Rosa and Santino go into hiding, determined to go to America, Rosa's dream, while Rupè's elderly and extremely wealthy father places a bounty on the head of the buttero, believed to be responsible for the murder, and tasks Buffalo Bill with finding the two fugitives. During their escape, Rosa and Santino fall in love and become engaged, meeting various personalities along the way, including a group of anarchist rebels who see Santino as a model of revolt against the rich and the lords. The group of rebels is attacked by soldiers, and during the shootout, the two lovers attempt to escape, but shortly before they can, Santino is killed by Giovanni "Zecchino," a criminal who is part of the rebel group but who, along with his brother, wants to collect the substantial price placed on the man's head.
Rosa is kidnapped and wakes up in a cave overlooking the sea, tied to a goat cage, while Zecchino and his brother argue over who will bring Santino's severed head to Mr. Rupè. While the two brothers argue and kill each other, Rosa flees, carrying away the head of her beloved. Overcome by despair, fear, and madness, she imagines Santino's head still alive and communicating with her.
Buffalo Bill, followed by one of his men and the headless body of Santino, carried on Rosa's horse, finds the girl and offers her two options, to be decided by a game of heads or tails: if heads, they would engage in a gunfight; if tails, she would be free to continue on her way. The outcome of the challenge is unclear, but Rosa continues on her way, carrying Santino's head, her horse, and Bill's notebook.
The girl reaches Mr. Rupè, presents him with Santino's head, and forces him to hand over the promised reward. Once she has the money, Rosa confesses to being Ercole's killer, recovers Santino's head, and flees again, galloping through the countryside on her white horse.
