When a man kills the son of a wanted criminal he gets praised for it. He is then implored to go after the criminal. And he gets so determined that he shoots the wrong man. In the meantime when the criminal hears about his son's death he sets out to get the one who killed his son.
Caine befriends a group of Hutterites who are God-fearing and simple people yet fear contamination from outsiders. They are involved in a dispute over a nearby waterhole with cattlemen who fear that their sheep may infect the water.