 An automobile is blown up as it crosses the Mexican border into the United States. Mike Vargas, a high ranking Mexican narcotics official on honeymoon with his bride Susie is drawn into the investigation because a Mexican national has been accused of the crime. The figurative and physical presence of Hank Quinlan as the 330 pound sheriff looms all over. Quinlan is a fanatic where "justice" is concerned, even if obtaining it involves planting evidence. Quinlan s reputation for law and order enables him to bend the law without question until Vargas confronts him. From that point on, it s a battle of wits between the two that, with an accelerating pace, rushes to a thrilling climax.