The film was directed by Bernard McEveety and written and produced by Andrew J. Fenady, adapted from the story "The Night of the Tiger" by Al Dewlen.

A census taker (James MacArthur) arrives in the Texas town of Cold Iron, with a population of 754.

He goes into the local bar for a cold beer, and tells the bartender the town has an unusual number of citizens named "Jonas" and "Reprisal."

In flashback, we learn that Jonas Trapp (Connors) is a poor cowboy in love with a wealthy woman named Jessie Larkin (Kathryn Hays).

Jonas is returning home when he stumbles over a campfire and is ambushed by three men: Brooks Durham (Rennie), the local banker; John "Johnsy Boy" Hood (Bill Bixby), a sadistic young hustler with a love only of fine clothes and himself; and Coates (Claude Akins), a notorious drunk.

Jonas is consumed by a desire for revenge and heads for Cold Iron, where he learns from his father that Jessie's aunt has died and his wife is now engaged to another man - Brooks Durham.

When Jessie encounters him on the street, her only reaction is anger over his abandonment, and fear that his return will spoil her prospects of remarriage.

He takes "Johnsy Boy" Hood on his way back from romancing the lonely wife of a local farmer (Gloria Grahame) in hopes of cheating her out of some money.

The resulting fight presages the subject of the painting seen in the framing sequence, and the bouncer is nearly beaten to death.

Jessie has Jonas' money and pleads with him to stay, but he refuses and the scene ends with her standing in the street as she watches him ride off.

Film critic Glenn Erickson wrote that the film "fails in both story and production departments, as we never for a moment believe what we're seeing is a worthy drama," that "just about everything that happens is both unconvincing and badly conceived," that "most dramatic scenes are a complete embarrassment, including heavy turns by Gloria Grahame and a woefully inadequate Bill Bixby", and "continuity mismatching is difficult to ignore ... there's little else to keep our attention.