Armendáriz Armendáriz is denied shelter in a tense border town and is shot dead by the bandit leader after handing a map to Gary Stevens Gary Stevens. Gary then slips across the border into Mexico to join forces with Chris Malone Chris Malone, an estate owner who keeps slaves performing gladiatorial bouts for his cruel amusement and for the companionship of his girlfriend Peggy Savalas Peggy Savalas. The trio’s uneasy alliance centers on a stolen map that Gary divides in two—each half needed to unlock the location of a long-buried gold mine.
As news travels, Ken Dakota Ken Dakota, Armendáriz’s brother, arrives in town and starts digging for answers. The town’s fragile balance of power is tested when Gary and his men stage a bold bank robbery, a move that Chris already anticipated and warned the authorities about. The ensuing chaos brings down a deadly sweep of violence: soldiers massacre Gary’s gang and capture him, leaving Gary in the grip of Chris and his men (plus Peggy Savalas). In a brutal shakedown, they torture Gary to pry loose his half of the map, trying to force him to reveal its secrets.
That night, Ken Dakota and his trusted sidekick Duke Duke burst into the scene, assaulting the guards and rescuing Gary. Ken coerces Gary to surrender his half of the map, and the two flee to town, where a formal verdict awaits: Gary is tried and sentenced to be hanged at sunrise. The following hours are a maelstrom of loyalties and counter-moves, as Chris and his men shadow the situation and Chris’s girlfriend Peggy watches with wary eyes.
After the execution plot is foiled, Gary and several of Chris’s followers abduct Ken’s nephew, hoping to exchange him for the missing map half. In a twist of deception, Gary hires Jose José to betray Chris, aiming to secure both map halves. But Chris is two steps ahead; he and his men capture Gary and Jose before the exchange can occur.
The confrontation escalates into a gladiatorial duel staged by Chris to test Gary and Jose. The fight is brutal, and Jose seems poised to finish Gary off when Ken unexpectedly appears, shooting Jose dead and forcing Chris to release the nephew. In a cruel reversal, Ken shoots Gary, who, wounded, admits he killed his own brother under Chris’s orders. Chris responds with a fatal shot of his own, pushing the duel toward a violent crescendo.
What follows is a fierce shootout in which Ken and Duke wield the upper hand, aided by hidden explosives concealed in Duke’s jacket. The explosion shakes the town and disrupts Chris’s escape route; he flees on horseback, but Ken gives chase and delivers a decisive chest shot. As the dust settles, Ken hesitates to finish Chris off, leaving him alive but defeated. The film closes with Duke delivering a final, chilling line to Chris: > You're really fortunate; you've finally met a man who doesn't know how to hate.
