During a big barroom brawl, petty crook Martin accidentally shoots the son of a crime lord and flees to the relative safety of a remote northern California logging community in this taut drama. In the little town, he takes over an abandoned hunting cabin, changes his name and begins working as a logger. Eventually he meets, Anna, a lovely young widow and her teenage son, Jeff. The disparate twosome fall in love, but Martin tells Anna nothing about his past. She has a good effect on him and he tries to live a decent life. Unfortunately, a crooked sheriff learns the truth and begins trying to blackmail him. He also meets opposition with his crew boss Max, Anna's suspicious brother.