A group of recently returned wartime companions organize a horseback outing across a desert trail that becomes an escalating series of hazards. Their overland coach threatens collapse and later plunges from a precipice, forcing a trek on foot and a collision with highwaymen. Camps are besieged by nighttime rifle shots and war-whoops, ponies are stolen, and a member disappears, prompting a tracking search through a somber canyon. The party engages in skirmishes, makes captures, and mounts organized defenses under decisive leadership, ultimately resolving the danger through pursuit, rescue, and the recovery of captives.