Thieves and rustlers Robert Hightower (John Wayne), Pete Fuerte (Pedro Armendáriz) and the Abilene Kid (Harry Carey Jr.) rob a bank in a small Arizona town. Pursued across the desert by the indefatigable Sheriff Buck Sweet (Ward Bond), the trio lose their horses, suffer injuries, and come across a stranded woman (Mildred Natwick) who is dying while giving birth. Promising to carry the woman's newborn to safety, the repentant criminals struggle to reach the village of New Jerusalem.