Lije Paterson, a longtime mountain man, finds a young man wandering the mountains after Indians killed the trappers who hired him as camp helper. Paterson takes on Dougal McKagan for the same position and begins teaching him the ways of the mountains and of trapping. Over the next couple of years, McKagan takes to enjoying the killing of Indians and taking scalps, much to Paterson’s disgust. Paterson finally sends him packing, but the action soon comes back to haunt him, bringing nothing but trouble and death. Several years later, Paterson, down on his luck, learns that McKagan is leading a large group of men killing Indians to sell their scalps. With help from an unexpected quarter, will Paterson be able to stop McKagan's bloodthirsty rampage?