As the wealthiest and most powerful man in the Wild West town of Gun Hill, cattle rancher Craig Belden (Anthony Quinn) has come to believe he's above the law. When his son, Rick (Earl Holliman), rapes and murders a Native American woman (Ziva Rodann) married to U.S. marshal Matt Morgan (Kirk Douglas), Belden arrogantly declines to allow his son's arrest. The marshal, once a friend of Belden's, takes on the rancher's henchmen and Rick's accomplice (Brian Hutton) to bring the killer to justice.