Desperately hoping to turn the tide of the war, Confederate soldier Clete Mattson (McCrea) steals $2 Million in gold bars from the Union and heads for the Mexican border town of Zona Libre, where he hopes to buy munitions and supplies. With Yankee troops in hot pursuit, Clete soon discovers he might be in a worse situation with a greedy despot (Pedro Armendariz), crooked businessmen and other shady characters intent on double-crossing him.