Bart has a day that gets better and better, until it starts really sucking when a crazy dog that hates him for no known reason starts stalking him. Bart is chased by the dog and he escapes from the dog by climbing a fence into the yard of Buck McCoy, a former star of western films. Bart learns more about Buck's history and back at home when Bart mentions that Buck is about the greatest guy who ever lived, Homer gets jealous. Buck comes to the Simpson's home for dinner and Bart brings the western look to Springfield Elementary. Bart and Lisa get Buck to appear on "The Krusty the Clown Show", but Buck hasn't appeared on live television in years; so to calm his nerves, he starts drinking. A drunken Buck shoots up the Krusty the Clown set, and Krusty himself. As a result Bart has lost his new hero and Homer who should feel happy about it isn't. So he and Marge go to Buck's to try sobering him up. When Snake and his gang are robbing Springfield's National Bank, Homer suggests that Buck stop the robbery to help restore his son's faith in the old cowboy. A couple of twirls of Buck's lariat soon put an end to the robbery.