When a gang of outlaws led by James "Stretch" Dawson (Gregory Peck) rolls into an abandoned frontier town, the only residents they find are an old man (James Barton) and his granddaughter (Anne Baxter), who inform them there's gold in them thar hills. Problems arise when a maverick gang member (Richard Widmark) plots to kill the innocent townsfolk so he can claim the loot for himself, prompting Stretch to come to the rescue.