This movie epitomizes the injustice of the death of a Japanese American killed discriminately for pleasure or sport. Mr Komoko is an old Japanese farmer both harmless and isolated. Komoko farms on the outside of town and is not threat too the community. The community knows Smith is arbitrary, cruel, and unjust. Smith manages to control law enforcement in the community and the community considers Smith both Judge and executor. Smith betrays his sacred responsibility as business partnership and void his contractual agreements with Komoko to provide and well being for Komoko and instead offers only betrayal of trust and eventual death. The community knows Komoko is an innocent and peaceful individual but they fail to openly condemn the atrocities and murder committed by Smith. Smith maintains control over the town using his two muscle men Hector and Cody. Hector and Cody are corrupt, inefficient and lethal. They are not cooperative with each other and take orders from Smith.

John McGreddie arrives by Southern Pacific railroad nondiscretely into the sleepy little town of blackrock, as shock watcher observe him exit the train. Attention is drawn to John immediately as observes notice his missing left arm. After arrival , John tries to secure lodging but is told by Pete the attendant that OPA rules – “comboy wish” - prevents him from giving him a room because all room are being used by participates in a a cowboy convention in progress. Pete tells John that OPA rules require that a room be immediately provide for a cowboy on demand despite plenty of vacancies in the hotel. Hector wants to test Johns determination. Hector challenges John in a verbal battle accessing whether John will have what Hector calls “Iron” forcing him to leave. John exist the floor bathroom and enters his room door only to find Hector on his bed. Hector inquires of John whether he will defend his room and claim his territory and stand up too him; John does not want a fight and decides to leave and too Hector’s surprise, John tells Hector that he will get another room. Hector tells Smith that John is no salesman and maybe a policeman. Hector likens John too TNT that could blow up the town. Mr Smith and Cody think and analyze John responses as “doesn’t push easy”. Mr Smith wires Nick Gambie, a private investigator to dig up information on John, but no information can be discovered. After realizing that John does not have community ties he says, “who would miss a person like McGreddie, maybe he will go ahead” suggesting a murder plot was forming. Hector becomes jumpy as a stalled horse. John visits the sheriffs office and is disgusted and dismayed at the fact the Sheriff is drunk and refuses to tell what happened to the Japanese farmer, Kamoko. The doctor confronts the sheriff in a heated debate telling him they should have don’t sometime four years ago when Kamoko was killed. John rents a jeep from Liz and travels to Adobe flat where he discovers a burnt home and a well with wind pump with water about 60 feet down. On the return trip back, Cody push John off the road down into a raven in an attempt to kill John, but John survives and makes it back into town. John wants to leave town. Liz refuses to loan John the jeep and John learns the near bus stop is 32 miles away, a distance too far for him to walk because the area is a desert. John asks Liz, “What is wrong with this town?” and “Your too uncertain”. Liz is under Mr Smith’s control. John confronts Pete telling him, “What happen in blackrock?” and when Pete says nothing, John flies at him with the charge, “the rule of law has failed and the guerillas have taken over”. Mr Smith tells John that he is a big man and John replies, “big enough to make you mad” too which Mr Smith tells John, they shoot mad dogs. Mr Smith wants John to stop snooping around and John then wants to why, Mr Smith wants him to stop snooping. Mr Smith says, “I want outsiders to leave us alone” and John asks, “leave you alone to do what?” Mr Smith says that kids burnt down the Kamoko home. John decides to telegram the state police but his message is never sent. John discovers the message is not sent and warns that this is a federal offense. Smith calls John a “Yellow bellied Jap lover”. John is not provoked and response that “you would like to provoke me and then beat me to death calling it self-defense”. John is angry and says, “your sunk”, “you killed Komoko”. John karate chops Cody too the throat; Code recovers again and throws a punch and John knees him in the groin follows with a right chop to the back of the neck and to the kidneys; Cody weakly throws a final punch and ends up on his back. The doctor rescues Cody and manages to keep him alive. Finally, John reveals that Komoko’s son Joseph saved died saving him in Italy and because of valor received a metal. John learns from Pete, Komoko lease Flat rock from Smith and dug a 60 foot well and discovered water upon which Smith felt cheated. Smith tried to enlist at Sand City after the Pearl Harbor attack but was denied enrollment. Upon returning home, a group of individuals including Smith became drunk and decided to enact a patriotic attack on Komoko; Komoko saw the group approaching and locked the door; the group set his house and fire; Komoko exists the house while on fire and dies; Smith burns the body. John reverses the tactic; Pete convinces Liz to help John escape; Pete and the Doctor incapacitate Hector with a firehose nozzle; Liz is working with Smith and bring him out into an opening; Smith kills Liz; John ignites Smith with fuel from the jeep; and returns back to town with dead Liz and injured Smith.