Texas Ranger J. J. McQuade comes to the defense of a group of Texas State Troopers who have been taken captive by a band of horse rustlers. Using a combination of martial arts and high-caliber weaponry, McQuade annihilates the rustlers and takes their leader, Jefe Morano, into custody. Arcadio “Kayo” Ramos, one of the surviving troopers, thanks the ranger profusely. Afterward, McQuade attends the retirement ceremony for a fellow ranger, Dakota Brown, and shares a beer with his old friend upon its conclusion. McQuade is then summoned to the office of Captain T. Tyler, who is furious over a newspaper editorial criticizing the Texas Rangers, and McQuade in particular, for their brutal methods and lack of cooperation with other law enforcement agencies. Despite McQuade’s excellent arrest record, Tyler refuses to tolerate a “lone wolf” on his team and partners him with Kayo. Although McQuade insists on working alone, Kayo follows the ranger to his dilapidated desert home and continues to state his case until McQuade forces the trooper to leave at gunpoint. From a nearby hillside, the trooper watches in amazement as McQuade practices his highly-developed shooting and martial arts techniques. Kayo attempts to follow the ranger into town, but McQuade’s high-powered truck easily outruns the police car. Later, McQuade and his daughter, Sally, join retired Dakota at a racetrack. As Sally rides on one of Dakota’s horses, a loud noise frightens the animal into a full gallop, and Lola Richardson, a beautiful young widow, runs to the girl’s rescue. McQuade thanks Lola, who recognizes him as “the infamous Texas Ranger.” She then introduces him to her lover, Rawley Wilkes, who, unbeknown to McQuade, is a dealer in stolen weapons. Rawley, a martial arts champion, invites McQuade to witness a demonstration of his skills at a party the couple is hosting. McQuade accepts the invitation, and observes with interest as Rawley handily defeats all three of his opponents. When Kayo joins the party, he is greeted with an ethnic slur by one of Rawley’s men, resulting in a brawl. McQuade subdues Kayo’s assailants, prompting a challenge from Rawley. Lola scolds Rawley and invites McQuade for a drive in her Rolls Royce; a romance develops between them. Meanwhile, on a remote desert highway, Sally and her boyfriend, Bobby Drew, witness the hijacking of an arms shipment from a military base. Before they can escape, Bobby is shot and killed, and the car is forced off an embankment, with Sally inside. McQuade is informed on his way home by a police dispatcher that his daughter has been injured. He rushes to the hospital and finds his former wife, Molly, at their daughter’s bedside, while Sally mourns the death of her boyfriend. The next day, McQuade and Kayo meet at the crime scene, where federal agent Marcus Jackson advises McQuade against interfering in a federal case. Undaunted, McQuade and Kayo abduct a hustler named Snow and take him to Dakota’s ranch for interrogation. Snow reveals that Falcon, the tiny, paraplegic Mexican mafioso who owns the racetrack, is buying stolen weaponry and selling it to terrorists. McQuade returns home to find Lola cleaning his house, and though he initially resents her interference, he soon joins in on the housework. Afterward, McQuade questions Falcon about the weapons shipment. Falcon attributes the hijacking to a friend, whom he refuses to name, then disappears behind a revolving wall, warning McQuade that Snow is about to be killed. By the time McQuade returns to the ranch, both Snow and Dakota have been killed, leaving Kayo as the only survivor of the shooting. The following day, McQuade is suspended without pay at the behest of federal agents Jackson and Burnside, for violating jurisdictional law that led to the deaths of Snow and Dakota. That night, a pair of gunmen riddle McQuade’s house with bullets and escape in a van driven by Rawley. In the morning, McQuade receives a surprise visit from Jackson, who enlists his help in locating the gunrunners’ desert storage facility. The mission is successful, and they return the next day with Kayo, Burnside, and several other federal agents. Their presence is undetected until nightfall when Burnside and his men attempt an arrest, and are shot to death. When McQuade is taken captive, Rawley orders his men to lock the ranger inside his truck and bury it in the ground. Lola, who has been abducted by Rawley, begs for McQuade’s life as she is dragged to his waiting helicopter. Kayo and Jackson defeat the last of Rawley’s henchmen while McQuade drives his truck through the heavy layer of earth that entombs him. Sometime later, McQuade receives a visit from Falcon, who announces that Rawley has kidnapped Sally. Falcon directs McQuade to the gunrunner’s Mexican hacienda, in exchange for a promise to safeguard the stolen weapons. Following his arrival in Mexico, McQuade joins forces with Jackson and Kayo, who are traveling with a truckload of weapons. They reach Rawley’s hacienda and eliminate most of Rawley’s men in the ensuing gun battle. McQuade and Rawley engage in hand-to-hand combat, and when the gunrunner is defeated, he fires at his opponent, accidentally killing Lola. Rawley hides in a stockroom and continues to fire at McQuade, but the ranger dodges the bullets and throws a grenade into the structure, obliterating Rawley and the weaponry. Falcon arrives by helicopter and is furious at the loss of his arsenal. McQuade and his team commandeer the helicopter and leave Falcon stranded. After returning to Texas, McQuade and Jackson are feted as heroes. The ranger plans to spend the day with Molly and Sally, until Kayo requests his help in dealing with a hostage situation. Molly and Sally resign themselves to McQuade’s devotion to duty.