A nameless stranger (Eastwood) rides into the Mexican border town of San Miguel and quickly finds himself in the middle of a bloody battle for power between two rival families, the Baxters and the Rojos. Cannily realising there's money to be made from playing each side against the other, the Man with No Name soon finds himself caught in the crossfire as the body count escalates, his only chance of escape a standoff against the Rojos' mercilessly cruel leader, Ramón (Gian Maria Volonté).