John Jones claims that it is his "stupid smile" that keeps him out of trouble. His partner, Dennis Rourke, attracts trouble the way a magnet attracts iron filings. They are hired to escort a group of people to a sequestered hacienda hidden away in the Sierra Negra, an area infested with bandits. The hacienda was the scene of an old murder and has existed under a curse ever since. Ned Palliser, a rich sea captain, his heir, Frances Mornay, her fiancé, and her female companion make up the party. Matters become complicated when it becomes evident that everyone in the Palliser party is openly hostile to the old sea captain and want to see him dead.

Max Brand® is the name by which American author Frederick Faust is best known and loved. Widely acclaimed for his stories and novels in every genre, Faust abandoned his lucrative writing career to serve as a war correspondent with the infantry in Italy. He was killed during a night attack on a hilltop held by the German army.