Zeke Boles, a Black cowhand, awaits hanging in North Texas for a murder he didn't commit. His white friend Will Brite, with whom he rode in the Big Drift blizzard, has exhausted virtually all avenues to get Zeke exonerated. Will's only hope is to set out for the faraway Devils River to find the actual culprit, a man with a missing finger. Will and his friend Arch Brannon join a cattle drive through a searing land between the Devils and Pecos rivers. This hellish trail is destined to be marked with carcasses and a lonely grave, and the elusive possibility of finding hope at the end.