Denver and Rio Grande

Chief engineer Gil Harkness and construction foreman Jim Vesser map a new D&RG route through Colorado's Royal Gorge. They discover a rival company, CC&SJ, is already operating in the gorge, setting up a tense race for the critical pass. The work environment becomes a tinderbox of ambition and danger.

During a confrontation, McCabe shoots Nelson in the back. He and Johnny Buff blame Vesser for the killing, while Vesser protests his innocence. The accusation seeds a personal and political conflict that will drive the rest of the story.

Linda Prescott, secretary to the D&RG president, suspects Vesser of Nelson’s murder and views him as a cowardly killer. She is actually spying for McCabe, who has convinced her of his side of the story. Her shifting loyalties complicate the men’s efforts to control the situation.

An injunction halts D&RG work in the gorge, but Vesser talks Harkness into staying the course. He goes into the camp saloon to rally the men back to work, triggering a brawl sparked by a dispute over pay. Tensions flare as law, money, and pride collide.

Palmer secures payroll funds in Denver, and the return trip is interrupted when the train is robbed. The assault leaves Palmer’s accountant dead, heightening fears of financial ruin for the project. Rumors spread that the robbery is tied to the murder investigation.

Vesser returns to the camp saloon and confronts two men gambling with cash, accusing them of payroll theft. They run toward the CC&SJ camp and a gunfight erupts. Vesser kills one robber and wounds the other, while Palmer identifies the wounded as a member of the gang, noting a third killer who murdered the accountant.

Vesser accuses Linda of complicity in the schemes, revealing he saw her riding toward McCabe’s camp. Linda dismisses his insinuations as mere suspicion. The exchange deepens rifts between the lovers and allies as the crisis intensifies.

The injunction is eventually lifted, but Palmer announces he must go to Denver to keep the company out of receivership. Linda’s later revelations complicate Palmer’s plans, underscoring the political stakes of the railway race.

Linda secretly reveals Palmer’s Denver plan to McCabe, who mobilizes drunken thugs to blockade the line by stealing a D&RG train and seizing all stations. The aim is to cripple the company and prevent Palmer from reaching Denver. The ominous plan shows how sabotage could derail the project.

A D&RG telegrapher warns Palmer, who rallies his men to breach the blockade. Vesser and Harkness uncouple the engine and crash it head-on into the stolen train to stop the sabotage. The collision averts a disaster and shifts the balance of power in the gorge.

Linda returns to the camp and, with Buff’s help, uncovers McCabe’s role as Bob Nelson’s killer. Buff also confesses to the accountant’s murder, establishing McCabe’s wider criminal scope. The revelation accelerates the final confrontation.

McCabe places dynamite on a train car aimed at the barricade, as Buff and Linda dodge bullets while warning Vesser and the others. The siege reaches a fever pitch as loyalties flip under fire and fear. The danger compounds with every passing moment.

In the final burst of violence, Buff shoots McCabe in the back, and the explosion finishes him off. The immediate threat to the barricade ends, but the cost is steep. The gang’s collapse paves the way for rebuilding the railroad.

With the danger gone, Vesser forgives Linda and looks forward to building the railroad together. The gorge is secured, and the project resumes toward its promised future. The closing moment hints at progress triumphing over vendetta.