Celia Evarts (Ella Raines) and her uncle John Evarts (James Bell), inherit the valuable Hatchet Ranch after Celia's father dies in a winter snow blizzard. Other cattlemen and cowboys in the region immediately try to take advantage, grazing on the their land and using its water for free. Celia's uncle John is also later shot and killed.
Will Ballard (Rod Cameron), her ranch foreman, sets out to protect Celia's interests, with Sheriff Joe Kneen's (J. Carrol Naish) help, particularly after Celia's fiance, Sam Danfelser (Forrest Tucker), betrays her and sides with Bide Marriner (Brian Donlevy), a rich neighboring rancher who hopes to gain control of Hatchet for himself. Bide Marriner seizes a watering hole for the cattle and the only way Will Ballard can think of to defeat him is to destroy it. Bide then tries to shoot the sheriff in the back, but Sheriff Kneen gets the better of him. Sam Danfelser rides in for one more confrontation, but before he and Will can come face to face, Celia slips away and takes care of matters herself.
