Desperate for money, a rancher decides to trap and sell wild horses, using barbed wire. The local Navajo tribe tries to persuade him not to do it.

The prohibition is in full swing and Egypt Hagen, a new woman, is the constant subject of controversy in her religious small town. After a scandalous night of partying leaves her publicly shamed, she finds unlikely companionship in the town's new reverend. As their bond intensifies under the watchful eye of concerned townsfolk, her sullied reputation threatens his standing as a respected clergyman.

After killing an unknown man for an unknown reason, a mysterious drifter turns himself to the law under a false name, intending to protect his own family's honor. But when the news of his conviction breaks, the drifter's sister considers the possibility that the man is her long-lost brother.