Raton Pass

Two strangers, Ann and Cy Van Cleave, arrive at the Challon ranch on Raton Pass. An early confrontation with Marc leaves Cy defeated, and Ann quickly switches her interest to him, spurning Van Cleave. Before the town realizes what is happening, Ann and Marc are married, and Papa Pierre rewards them with a deed that transfers ownership of the ranch to the couple.

As a 50% owner, Ann seeks real influence over ranch affairs, but the men around her dismiss her demands as the stubbornness of a woman in the Old West. Boredom and resentment grow as she is sidelined from the operations she now partly owns. Her restlessness plants the seeds for future schemes.

Prentice, a Chicago banker, arrives and represents both opportunity and danger to the Challons. Ann recognizes a chance to manipulate him for her own ends. The stage is set for a risky irrigation project that could reshape ownership and power on the ranch.

Ann and Prentice kindle a torrid affair and hatch a plan to swindle Marc out of his half of the ranch. They frame the irrigation venture as a means to wrest control from the Challons. Their conspiracy makes the couple's marriage and the family fortune a ticking time bomb.

Returning from a business trip, Pierre and Marc uncover Ann and Prentice in a romantic clinch. Pierre urges Marc to shoot his wife in defense of family honor. Marc instead sells his 50% share to Ann, convinced the irrigation deal will fail and that he can buy back later for pennies.

Lena Casamajor, a homesteader's niece, engineers a meeting between Marc and the homesteaders. She arranges a deal where Marc finances irrigation for all sides if they help deny Ann access to grazing land. This gambit shifts the balance of power toward a broader conflict between ranchers and farmers.

Unable to accept defeat, Ann hires Cy Van Cleave as the ranch foreman to fan the flames of the feud. Van Cleave becomes a catalyst for violence, encouraging gunplay and sowing mistrust across both sides. The range war now seems almost inevitable.

During the escalating tensions, Van Cleave shoots Marc in the back, a brutal strike that Marc barely survives. The attack intensifies the vendetta and pushes all parties deeper into a cycle of retaliation. News of the shooting ripples through the ranch and homestead communities.

Prentice, fed up with the bloodshed and the unraveling scheme, abandons Ann. The banker leaves the field, leaving Ann to face the consequences of her ruse with the Challons' opposition intact. The Challons become the last obstacle to his ambitions.

With Prentice's ambitions still in play, the Challons rally to stop him and salvage the ranch from the spiraling deceit. They confront the banker and his allies, pushing back against his plans to control the irrigation venture. The confrontation sets the stage for a climactic showdown involving Ann, Marc, and Van Cleave.

In the climactic moment, Van Cleave—the murderous foreman—turns his deadly aim on Ann. The scene marks a brutal turning point as the power struggle surrounding the irrigation project reaches its peak.