Outlaws Rio (Marlon Brando) and Dad Longworth (Karl Malden) rob a bank in Mexico. Dad betrays Rio by taking the stolen money and leaving him to be caught by the law. Rio spends five years in a brutal Mexican prison. After escaping prison, Rio tracks Dad down in California to get his revenge. He discovers that Dad has reinvented himself and become a respected local sheriff. Instead of killing Dad right away, Rio plans a slow payback. However, the plan changes when Rio falls in love with Dad’s stepdaughter, Louisa.