A traditional sagebrush saga based on two novels ("Sackett" and "The Daybreakers") by Louis L'Amour. It focuses on the three Sackett brothers in New Mexico after the Civil War, seeking their fortunes, avenging a family killing, driving cattle, and fighting for law and order.

An advertising executive finds herself in a small-town jail after being terrorized on a drive from Los Angeles to New York by two hitchhikers who steal her car and leave her unconscious by the roadside. She becomes a fugitive after killing her jailer during a rape attempt and breaking out with one of the hitchhikers who could prove her innocence.