When high-profile New York lawyer Horton Madec (Andy Griffith) goes hunting in a remote desert town, he hires nature-loving local boy Ben Campbell (Sam Bottoms) to act as his guide. Things go awry, however, when Madec mistakes a prospector for game and shoots him dead. Determined to cover it up, Madec decides to kill the only other witness to his crime, and Ben soon finds himself battling both Madec and the harsh desert climate in order to stay alive.