A dying marshal deputizes a drifter to deliver the two killers in his custody to prison. However, the new deputy must elude a pair of bounty hunters who want to deliver the prisoners themselves to collect the reward and would think nothing of killing the deputy to get them.
A group of young gunmen, led by Billy the Kid, become deputies to avenge the murder of the rancher who became their benefactor. But when Billy takes their authority too far, they become the hunted.
While confronting the disapproving father of his girlfriend Lola, Native American man Willie Boy kills the man in self-defense, triggering a massive manhunt, led by Deputy Sheriff Christopher Cooper.