When gambler Smoke Cavendish is attacked and robbed of his poker winnings, his assailants leave him to die in the desert. Determined to survive, he stumbles into Hell's Acres, a town of desolation, where the townsfolk are under the boot of Mark Tarlton and his ruthless gunhawks. There, Smoke meets the beautiful Trixie Lee, but soon he clashes with Tarlton, and finds himself gambling for the highest stakes - his life, and the life of the woman he loves.