BLOOD ON THE MOON

Cowboy drifter Jim Garry is summoned by his friend, smooth-talking Tate Riling. Garry rides into an Indian reservation and finds himself in the middle of a conflict between a cattle owner and some homesteaders. He meets cattle owner John Lufton, who asks Garry to deliver a note to his family. While delivering the message, Garry is confronted by Lufton's daughter Amy, and eventually meets his other daughter, Carol. The Luftons suspect that Garry is on Riling's side and are initially hostile, especially Amy.

Riling tells Garry that he and his partner, Indian agent Jake Pindalest, have devised an elaborate scheme to force Lufton into selling his herd cheaply.

Pindalest has rejected Lufton's cattle as unfit to feed the Indians and ordered him to remove his herd from the reservation within a week. Meanwhile, Riling has organized the homesteaders into blocking the move, conning them into believing that he is working in their interest. With no other option, Lufton would have to sell his herd at bargain prices or lose everything. Lufton would never sell to Riling, but he would to a stranger like Garry. Pindalest would then see that the government buys the herd. Riling offers Garry $10,000 for his part in the swindle.

Lufton manages to outsmart Riling and move his herd off the reservation unimpeded. He and Amy assume incorrectly that Garry read the note, which described the route he wanted Riling to think he planned to take. Riling was actually tipped off by Lufton's other daughter, Carol, who is in love with Riling. Riling and his men find the cattle eventually and stampede them back onto the reservation. There is not enough time to gather the herd together and move the herd. Garry becomes disgusted when a young man is killed in the stampede. He breaks the news to the man's father, Kris Barden, as squarely as he can but only receives scorn in return. He then stops two of Riling's men from gunning Lufton down, yet Amy still does not trust him. Friendless, Garry leaves town and heads for Texas, stopping at a commissary miles out of town. There he is ambushed by Riling and one of his gunmen. Garry and Riling end up in a brutal brawl, with Garry triumphing, but just barely. When Riling's thug goes to slay him the man is shot dead by Barden, who tersely tells Garry to keep riding. Instead, he heads for the Lufton ranch, and is cared for by Amy, who has come to trust and fall in love with him.

To buy time for Lufton to get his cattle off the reservation, Garry deceives Pindalest (who is unaware of his break with Riling) into sending a messenger to the government to extend the deadline. Garry then takes Pindalest prisoner and hides in the mountains. Riling, after finding out that Garry tricked him, and his gang track them down. Garry is stabbed in the chest, but is able to flee to Barden's homestead where they are joined by Amy. Riling, his two top henchmen, and Pindalest arrive, and a gunfight erupts. Garry insists Amy leave, for her own safety; she insists on staying to be with him. Rising from his sickbed, Garry sneaks out at night, covered by Kris and Amy. He knocks Pindalest out and slays the two gunmen. Riling is fatally wounded and dies. Come the morning Garry and Amy recognize their future is together. Lufton and his men arrive, and Pindalest is taken into custody. Amy tells her father there's going to be a new man in their household. Lufton declares it reason to celebrate, and they all head for Barden's jug.

After brutal confrontations and betrayals, Jim Garry overcomes Tate Riling and his gang. Amy Lufton comes to trust and care for Garry, and together they help John Lufton protect his herd, outwitting the swindlers and securing their future.

The film resolves its central tensions through Garry’s rejection of corruption and his alignment with the Luftons. His evolution from outsider to trusted ally—and the Lufton family's acceptance of him—signals the restoration of moral order in a landscape rife with deceit. The ending underscores the value of integrity and loyalty, even when the odds are stacked and the alliances are murky.