Oilman Lin Vanner (Lew Ayres) guns down a fugitive suspected of stealing the company payroll. Greeted as a hero by his coworkers, Vanner is wracked with guilt over the death of his victim, Sam Tevlin. Unable to resist the compulsion to see Tevlin's widow, he quits his foreman job and sets off across the desert.
Unaware of his true identity, Ellen Tevlin (Teresa Wright) hires Lin to work the family ranch. Over time, the two fall in love and marry. But Vanner is tortured by the thought that he has murdered an innocent man. Leaving home to search for the truth, his quest leads to another murder and Lin finds himself a hunted man, pursued by Mexican Federales under orders to "shoot to kill!"
Lew Ayres, best-known for his role in All Quiet On The Western Front (1930), is outstanding as Vanner. Action director John Sturges inspires highly nuanced performances from his cast, brilliantly evoking guilt and sexual tension. Sturges went on to direct such classic films as Bad Day At Black Rock (1955), Gunfight At The O.K. Corral (1957), The Magnificent Seven (1960) and The Great Escape (1963).