Having escaped the gallows, young adventurer Steve Belasco, known as "El Desperado," runs into Bill, a dying Southern officer who entrusts him with a message to deliver to his father Sam, a blind old man living in the small town of Overton.
Steve takes the officer's place and arrives in town, where he joins a gang of desperados led by Asher, along with his partner Lucy, who is also Steve's former flame. The group's objective is to rob a Southern convoy loaded with gold in transit through the village.
The robbery is successful, but El Desperado tries to fool his occasional accomplices, which leads him to suffer a brutal beating by the gang. Meanwhile, he falls in love with Katie, Sam's (meanwhile deceased) carer.
The hero, with the help of his old friend Jonathan, cleans up the bad guys and ensures that justice is done for Sam. After solving the problems in the town, Steve decides to go back to wandering alone, as he has always done.