Ben and Meg Cameron (Anthony Quinn and Debra Paget) are hardworking ranchers in the New Mexico desert whose happy life is disturbed when an old acquaintance arrives unexpectedly, armed with a secret and an agenda. On the lam, bank robber Nardo (Ray Milland) forces Ben to guide him into Mexico away from the law, but once they venture into the unforgiving wilderness, the farmer must outwit his captor to save his life ... and his marriage.