Dan Evans is an impoverished rancher and U.S. Civil War veteran. He owes money to Glen Hollander and two of Hollander's men set fire to his barn, warning his house will be next if he fails to meet his debts. The next morning, as Evans and his two sons William and Mark look for their herd, they stumble upon outlaw Ben Wade and his gang, who have used Evans' cattle to block the road and ambush an armored stagecoach staffed by Pinkerton Government Services agents. As Wade's outfit loots the upended stage, Wade discovers Evans and his two sons watching from the hills. Determining that they pose no threat to him and his gang, Wade takes their horses and tells Evans that he will leave them tied up on the road to Bisbee, Arizona. Wade's gang departs, and Evans rescues the lone surviving coach guard, Byron McElroy, left alive but severely wounded by Wade.