A drifter with no name wanders into a small town, where his gun-slinging abilities are in high demand. After being met with disapproval, locals soon realize he could help them fend off a band of criminals who have been terrorizing the town. He agrees to help, but does so with his own secret agenda.

Notably hated by John Wayne for its depiction of American settlers, Eastwood’s sophomore film as a director is a twisted vision of the frontier. The heroes that typically populate the genre are all but absent here, and in their place is a stormy nightmare of retribution, villainy, and phantoms.