Highway Dragnet

Jim Henry, a recently discharged Korean War Marine, arrives in Las Vegas to visit his old buddy Paul. In a casino, he is drawn to former fashion model Terry Smith, leading to a volatile confrontation that ends with them sharing a charged moment.

The next morning, Las Vegas police detain Jim and take him to an apartment where Lt. Joe White Eagle reveals that Terry Smith has been murdered by strangulation. Jim insists his friend Paul could back his alibi, but Paul cannot be contacted because he is a secret army agent operating under a different name.

Panicked, Jim seizes an officer's revolver, holds the police at gunpoint, and escapes in a patrol car, firing at a pursuing vehicle. He drives along Highway 91, abandons the patrol car, changes clothes, and begins walking toward two women stranded by a broken-down car.

Jim comes to the aid of Mrs. H. G. Cummings and her model Susan Willis when he fixes their broken-down car. They invite him to ride with them, but tragedy interrupts their journey when Mrs. Cummings' small dog runs into the road and is killed by a passing car.

The trio reaches the Apple Valley Inn for a photographic assignment, where Mrs. Cummings and Susan invite Jim to stay with them. The situation grows tenser as law enforcement closes in and the road becomes the center of the manhunt.

Police locate the abandoned patrol car and set up roadblocks to trap Jim, foreshadowing a tense confrontation. The inn becomes a hub of activity as officers monitor the suspects and the rumor of Jim's guilt spreads.

A newspaper with a photo of Jim appears at the inn, prompting Susan to consider calling the police. Mrs. Cummings warns her that Terry Smith's lover could be a suspect, suggesting the police will focus on her rather than Jim.

Recognized and with the police alerted, Jim takes Mrs. Cummings and Susan hostage, steals a car, and crashes through a roadblock. Lt. White Eagle and other units pursue him across the desert, turning the chase into a high-stakes escape.

The car stalls in the desert sand; Mrs. Cummings tries to shoot Jim, but Susan wrests the weapon away. Jim's actions become increasingly symbolic of a possible innocent man fighting for his life.

Jim and the women reach his partially flooded house at the Salton Sea, where he explains he must reach Paul to confirm his innocence. The location marks a temporary sanctuary from the pursuit and a turning point in the case.

The next morning, Jim tells Mrs. Cummings and Susan to leave, but Susan chooses to stay because she has fallen in love with him. The uneasy trio faces unresolved loyalties as plans for what comes next take shape.

Lt. White Eagle arrives at Jim's house and begins to arrest him, ordering Susan to place Jim's gun on the sink, escalating the confrontation.

Mrs. Cummings slips in and shoots White Eagle, hoping to cover her guilt, but the gun malfunctions as she aims at Jim and Susan. She flees, pursued by Jim, and tumbles into a mix of water and sand that she fears is quicksand.

Police overhear Mrs. Cummings' confession to strangling her husband's lover with her dog's leash. Lt. White Eagle, though not seriously wounded, keeps the case alive by noting that Susan will serve as the principal witness and that a wife cannot testify against her husband.

With the case resolved, Jim and Susan walk off together, arm in arm, choosing a future together after the chaos of pursuit and confession. The romance persists despite the surrounding turmoil and police intrigue.