***SPOILERS*** Called into help US Government Agent Havly Clay, Ralph Meeker, in fighting the Charles Raines, Vncent Gardenia, mob from binging illegal booze, this is in 1923 during Probation, into the US from across the Mexican border Cherokee Indian scout Tom Threepersons, John Gavin, is anything but interested in working for him. Tom has done enough killing in his time and now wants to put his guns away for good. But being dead broke, he barley can come up with .05 for a shoeshine, Tom needs the money-$20.00 a day-that Clay offers him!
Crossing the border to check out Raines' operation Tom is confronted by his top gun Cardido Gomez, Perry Lopez, who tries to egg him on into a gunfight with him. By Tom whacking the brass and sure of himself Gomez with his fists not gun makes the already kill crazy guy even more crazier. Tom later gets a change of heart in using a gun again when he meets Gracia, Linda Lawson, at Raines Condova Contina bar where she works. Gracia just happened to be the sister of, back across the Mexican border, Alonzo, Rafael Campos, the shoeshine boy whom Tom has become very friendly with. It's in trying to unite the two that leads in Garcia to join him in exposing her bosses, Charles Raines, booze smuggling operation across the Mexican/Texas border. It also lead in her brother Alonzo being shot and killed in revenge by a sinisterly smiling and crazed and psycho looking Gomez.
***SPOILERS*** Knowing that the only way to stop the Raines Gang from going back into full operating after it was wiped out in a US Government raid lead by Agent Clay Tom goes south of the border, into Mexico, to finish off both Gomez & Raines before they re-organize. It's to Tom's pleasant surprise that Clay joined him, at the cost of his job, in helping him put an end to the Raines Gang once in for all by watching Tom's back when the shooting started.