Hotshot gunfighter Lot McGuire intends to make a name for himself by out-duelling legendary bandit-turned-lawman Marshal Dan Blaine. Before any bullets fly, however, Lot and his intended enemy strike up an unlikely friendship, and Blaine tries to convince the youngster to call off the shootout. Unfortunately, Lot can't be talked out of his quest for glory, and so he guns down a few hostile locals, leaving Blaine no choice but to finally accept the offer for a showdown.
Lawman John Corbett (Lee Van Cleef) searches the U.S.-Mexico border for a Mexican peasant (Tomas Milian) accused of raping and killing a 12-year-old girl.
Mac Traven (Tom Selleck) is a Civil War veteran who fought for the North, while his brother, Dal (Sam Elliott), was allied with the South. In spite of this considerable point of contention, the siblings must work together when they find that other family members have been abducted, along with Dal's girlfriend, Kate (Katharine Ross). Joined by their trouble-making uncle "Black Jack" (Ben Johnson), Mac and Dal relentlessly pursue the criminals to rescue their relatives.