A violent feud over water rights in the Old West sets the stage for the gritty western, sparked by an all-star cast including Zachary Scott (Colt .45), Lee Van Cleef (For A Few Dollars More, The Good, The Bad and the Ugly), Barton MacLane (Treasure of the Sierra Madre) and Lola Albright (Peter Gunn, The Way West).

Cattle ranchers Chalk Reynolds (MacLane) and his ilk have successfully driven off most of the small ranchers from Ruby Hills country, relying on two ruthless enforcers, Frank Emmet (Van Cleef) and Jack Voyle (Gordon Jones) to do their dirty work. A newcomer to the Ruby Hills, Ross Haney (Scott) finds himself in the middle of the conflict, fueled by the dastardly Alan Doran (Dick Foran), trying to play both sides against one another. Carole Mathews (The Californias) plays Sherry, Haney's sweetheart, and Lola Albright steals every scene she's in as the voluptuous May.