A ruthless cattle baron sets out to create his own private empire, no matter what the cost. When he resorts to murder, he makes an enemy of a civil war veteran, while his lust for power drives his wife into the arms of his younger brother. Western, starring Edward G Robinson, Barbara Stanwyck and Glenn Ford.

A former Union Army officer plans to sell out to Anchor Ranch and move east with his fiancée, but the low price offered by Anchor's crippled owner and the outfit's bullying tactics make him reconsider. When one of his hands is murdered he decides to stay and fight, utilizing his war experience. Not all is well at Anchor with the owner's wife carrying on with his brother who also has a Mexican woman in town.