Though drunken baker Al Willis (Gene Barry) insists he's innocent of all charges, police chief Joe Conroy (Sterling Hayden) is determined to throw the book at Willis for murdering a fellow cop. Though the evidence is thin, Conroy is so certain of the baker's guilt that he continues to pursue his suspect even after being fired from the police force.
Enlisting the aid of Willis' abused girlfriend, Marianna (Gloria Grahame), Conroy trails his man to Mexico in a heated chase.