Determined to escape politics and strife, Sam Houston crosses the Red River into Texas - into the tumultuous politics and looming conflict of the Free Texas movement. From Houston's early reluctance to join the Texas cause to his interactions with familiar historical figures (Davy Crockett and Andrew Jackson among them) to his victory over the forces of General Santa Ana at the Battle of San Jacinto, The First Texan traces the exploits of the man who would be president of the Texas Republic. "He was a man of size and strength, and he held history in his hands," the film says about Houston. That description also matches the physical stature and screen persona of the man playing him, Western icon Joel McCrea.