Clem Darby's quest for a new life brings him to New Orleans to join a Mississippi riverboat. There, he finds a dying man, who asks him to pass a message identifying his ambushers to his gang boss, Ed Keller. But, in doing so, Clem invokes Keller's suspicion and becomes marked for death himself. Meanwhile, Clem learns that Keller is trying to force local girl Amy Hutton into marriage, threatening to kill her grandfather. Joining forces, they flee Keller's men and make for the Huttons' secret gold mine. But now, the word is out and their chances of reaching the mine in Devil's Reach alive become less likely by the minute.
