Colorado Territory

Wes McQueen breaks out of jail and heads toward the Colorado Territory to meet Dave Rickard. During the journey, his stagecoach is attacked by a gang of robbers; after the driver and guard are killed, McQueen shoots or drives off the remaining attackers, earning the gratitude of the surviving passengers, including Fred Winslow and his daughter Julie Ann.

McQueen arrives at the ghost town of Todos Santos, where Reno Blake, Duke Harris, and Colorado Carson await. He sizes up the uneasy gang and then travels to a nearby town to meet the ailing Rickard, who wants one last big score. McQueen distrusts most of the gang but agrees to help out of loyalty to Rickard.

Rickard asks McQueen to pull off one final train robbery so they can retire. McQueen agrees, moved by friendship and gratitude, but he remains wary of Duke, Reno, and Pluthner. He still wants to go straight but acknowledges the mission.

To prevent trouble between Duke and Reno, McQueen decides to keep Colorado Carson by his side. Colorado's affections become clear as she admits she loves him, but McQueen remains focused on the retirement plan and his dream of marriage to Julie Ann.

McQueen visits the Winslow ranch and sees the arid, poor land. Winslow warns him that Julie Ann loves Randolph back East, a wealthy man who can offer her status. Yet McQueen remains undeterred about marrying Julie Ann and starting a life away from crime.

On the day of the robbery, a suspicious McQueen talks to Homer Wallace's wife and learns the informant has betrayed the gang for the reward money. Forewarned, he uncouples the passenger cars where the sheriff and his men lie in ambush, leaving them separate from the loot. Duke and Reno, working with Pluthner, attempt a double-cross, but McQueen is ready and departs with the money.

McQueen and Colorado go to split the money with Rickard, only to discover Rickard dead and Pluthner standing over him. McQueen kills Pluthner in a struggle, but he is wounded in the shoulder as the confrontation escalates.

A wounded McQueen makes for the Winslow ranch where Winslow helps remove the bullet, even after learning McQueen's true identity and crimes. Winslow lies to the sheriff and posse to shield him, offering a last, fragile act of loyalty.

McQueen confesses his love for Colorado and asks her to marry him. They plan a new life in Mexico, but their hopes are dashed when they are found hiding in the ghost town of Todos Santos and must decide their fate together.

McQueen gives Colorado the money and asks her to bury it near a mission as a safeguard for their future. He rides off toward the border on horseback, hoping to outrun the law, while she follows at a distance but cannot reach him in time. He is soon trapped atop a long-deserted cliffside Indian settlement, buying time with his superior marksmanship as pursuers close in.

Colorado arrives on foot and joins a devious sheriff plan that relies on timing and a sharpshooter. She grabs a gun, retrieves two horses for McQueen, and fights back as the posse advances. In the ensuing gunfire, the lovers are killed together, sealing their tragic fate.

The scene shifts to Brother Tomas, who is asked who brought new life to Todos Santos. He replies, 'A happy couple who passed this way,' suggesting their memory forever shapes the town's legend. The story closes on the echo of their brief, doomed happiness.