Texans Tom (Robert Sterling) and Jeff Cloud (John Barrymore Jr.) find a corpse on their ranch. Earl Boyce (Jack Elam) saw who killed the man, but he's too frightened to tell. Outlaw Kid Wichita (Robert Preston), another Cloud brother, comes to town to offer his services. After catching some local ranchers messing around with Tom's cattle, he steals the men's saddles. From there, things deteriorate into kidnapping, gang wars and murder, and the line between hero and villain becomes blurred.