Young Toby Lincoln is an orphan fending for himself in the rough Southwest where the law is often bent. Falsely accused and tried for horse stealing, Toby spends two years in a Colorado prison. Once free, Toby heads to New Mexico territory where he makes himself a new life on a ranch owned by Senora Monteverde.

But his hopes for finally finding a place in life are shattered by the heat of his own revenge. For Toby kills the Colorado prison guard who had killed his friend in prison and is now sought by federal marshals with an extradition order. But for the first time in his life, Toby has friends who'll do anything to save him.