Jake Remy (Warren Oates) and his band of mercenaries shoot their way through a tiny border town, planning to escape with their plunder across the river into Mexico. They dispatch a few men to neutralize the local ferryman, Travis (Lee Van Cleef), but he and flinty mountain man Phil (Forrest Tucker) foil the scheme. By the time Jake reaches the river, Travis has already taken everyone from the town to the Mexican side. He refuses passage to the mercenaries, and a lengthy standoff ensues.