Fugitive ex-special forces operative Tom Rollins is en route to Mexico when he is forced to detour into the small town of Brenton, Texas, a place whose glory days are far behind it. A powerful criminal family, the McQuades, runs things now, and they don't take kindly to strangers. When some of their thugs try to intimidate Tom, he pushes back—hard. The McQuades can't stand for that—they have Tom beaten, arrested, and thrown in jail. If that was all they did, he'd probably let it slide, just leave town. But tough-guy Earl McQuade makes a fatal mistake—he steals a pendant from Tom, a piece of jewelry given to him by the woman he loved. Tom wants that pendant back, and he'll do whatever it takes to get it.