In the late 1870s, chief engineer Gil Harkness (J. Carrol Naish)<ref group=N>Harkness's real life counterpart was Rio Grande Chief Engineer John Armstrong McMurtrie.</ref> and construction foreman Jim Vesser (Edmond O'Brien)<ref group=N>Vesser's real life counterpart was Rio Grande construction supervisor Robert Foster Weitbrec.</ref> are surveying a new route for the D&RG through the Royal Gorge in Colorado. Vesser learns that a crew from the competing Cañon City & San Juan Railroad is also in the gorge and confronts former friend Bob Nelson and his unscrupulous boss, McCabe (Sterling Hayden). McCabe shoots Nelson in the back during a fight but he and crony Johnny Buff (Lyle Bettger) blame Vesser, who thinks he accidentally shot Nelson while stunned from a blow. Linda Prescott (Kasey Rogers), the secretary of D&RG president General William J. Palmer (Dean Jagger),<ref group=N>General Palmer was the actual founder of the D&RG.</ref> believes Vesser to be a cowardly killer. An injunction stops work by the D&RG in the gorge and Vesser suggests they run the CC&SJ men "out on a pole." Linda, who is actually Nelson's sister and is spying for McCabe after being told by him that Vesser murdered her brother, angrily accuses him of acting above the law.
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