In old California, a cattle rancher named Juan Obreon drives his herd to the grazing lands he plans to lease from his old friend, Gaspar Melo. Upon arriving near the town of Granada, Juan learns that Gaspar's granddaughter Rosa has recently given birth to his baby. Overjoyed, Juan proposes marriage, and Rosa accepts. Later, Juan rides into town to make arrangements for the wedding, while Salvador Sandro, overseer for wealthy landowner Don Domingo, leads a group of men to Gaspar's hacienda. The land on which the hacienda sits had been given to the Melo family, but because the gift was never transacted legally, Gaspar has no deed to prove his ownership. Sent by Don Domingo to reclaim the land, Sandro orders Gaspar and his family to leave immediately, but the old man refuses, so Sandro's man Castro begins shooting. Rosa's sister Tonya escapes on horseback, but Rosa and her grandparents are killed. Just before Sandro shoots her, Rosa hides her baby inside a hollow wall of the hacienda, which is set on fire. A passing couple hears the baby's cries and rescues the child. Tonya and Juan are certain that Sandro and his men are guilty of the killings, but having no proof, they are unable to convince Capt. Rodriguez to arrest the murderers. After Juan defeats him in a knife fight, Castro gives Juan the names of the men working for Sandro. When Castro pulls a hidden knife from his boot and tries to stab Juan, however, the rancher is forced to kill his only witness in self-defense. Rodriguez, one of Juan's closest friends, threatens to arrest Juan for murder but quietly allows him and Tonya to escape. Taking the law into his own hands, Juan then begins to kill Sandro's henchmen, offering each the chance to defend himself with a knife. Convinced that Juan has become a cold-blooded killer, Rodriguez vows to capture his old friend. Juan rides into Granada in search of Sandro, the last of the killers, despite Tonya's warnings that he is now wanted. Almost caught by Don Domingo, Juan hides in the house of a friend and overhears Sandro making plans to escape to the border. While pursuing Sandro across the territory, Juan and Tonya stop at the Sierra Nevada hacienda of his old friend Don Rosendo, who offers to hide Tonya. Rodriguez and his deputy arrive just as Juan is leaving, and when the captain sees Tonya, he realizes Juan must be nearby. After Rodriguez departs, Manuel Felipe, a hired hand, confesses that he and his wife took Juan's son, whom they believed had been orphaned, after which he and Tonya rush to tell Juan that his son is alive. As a deadly storm approaches, Juan, who has been given warm clothing for the journey, catches sight of the ill-equipped Sandro climbing a steep glacier. When Sandro falls, Juan forces him to walk until, in the snow and wind, he loses consciousness. Arriving at a mountain shelter, Juan examines Sandro and realizes he is near death. Just then, Rodriguez arrives, shoots Juan in the arm, and orders him from the shelter. When Tonya and Manuel arrive, Tonya rushes into the cabin to tell Juan about his son. When Rodriguez enters, Sandro confesses his guilt, whereupon the captain promises to testify on Juan's behalf. Realizing that Tonya cares for him, Juan promises her that he will recover from his wound because he has much to live for.