During the siege at the Alamo, John Stroud (Glenn Ford) is chosen by lot to leave the fort and check on his family and warn other families of the mission's defenders of the impending arrival of General Santa Anna. But when everyone who stayed at the Alamo is wiped out by the Mexicans, Stroud is therefore branded a coward. When Stroud returns to his family, he finds that they have all been killed. Stroud takes the initiative to help other families move to safety from the pursuit of Wade, a Santa Anna sympathizer.