union officer kerry bradford (errol flynn) stages a daring escape from confederate libby prison run by the commandant, vance irby (randolph scott). bradford reports to union headquarters and is immediately sent to virginia city, a nevada mining town, to find out where $5,000,000 in gold that southern sympathizers plan to ship to the tottering confederacy is being kept. on the westbound stagecoach, he meets and falls in love with the elegant julia hayne (miriam hopkins), who unbeknownst to him is in fact a dance-hall entertainer — and a rebel spy, sent by jefferson davis (charles middleton) to assist in the transfer of the gold by wagon train. also on the stagecoach is the legendary john murrell (humphrey bogart), leader of a gang of "banditos", traveling as a gun salesman. before he and his gang can rob the stage, bradford gets the drop on murrell, who is forced to send his men away.