Like many Roy Rogers vehicles of its period (1942-43), Heart of the Golden West was praised by audiences and critics alike, even earning bookings in theaters which normally didn't cater to the western trade. Rogers comes a-ridin' to the rescue when the citizens of Cherokee City are fleeced by crooked trucking-company executive Ross Lambert (Edmund MacDonald). With the villain charging exorbitant fees to ship the local ranchers' cattle to market, Roy makes a less-expensive transport deal with steamboat-company owner Colonel Silas Popen (Walter Catlett). Lambert uses every dirty trick at his disposal to sabotage the Colonel's steamboats, and even resorts to kidnapping Popen's daughter (Ruth Terry). But he's no match for Roy Rogers, who this time out is backed up by two comic sidekicks, Gabby Hayes and Smiley Burnette -- not to mention Bob Nolan and the Sons of the Pioneers.