Teenager Barton "Bart" Tare is caught breaking a hardware-store window to steal a gun. He is sent to
reform school for four years despite the supportive testimony of his friends Dave and Clyde, his older sister Ruby and others. They claim that he would never kill any living creature, even though he has had a lifelong fascination with guns. After killing a young chick with a
BB gun at age seven, he became hesitant to shoot at anything living, even a mountain lion with a bounty on its head. After reform school and a stint in the army teaching marksmanship, Bart returns home. At a carnival, Bart challenges sharpshooter Laurie Starr to a contest and wins. Laurie arranges a job for Bart with the carnival and he becomes smitten with her. Their mutual attraction inflames the jealousy of their boss Packett, who wants Laurie for himself. When Packett tries to force himself on her, Bart fires a warning shot within an inch of his nose. Packett fires them and they leave together. Before they marry, Laurie warns Bart that she is "bad, but will try to be good". They embark on a carefree honeymoon on Bart's savings, but when the money is spent, she warns Bart that because she wants the finer things in life, he must join her in a career of crime or she will leave him. They rob stores and gas stations, but their paltry proceeds do not last long. While fleeing from the law, Laurie orders Bart to shoot at the pursuing police car. He shoots the tire of the police car, causing it to crash. Later that day at another robbery, Laurie intends to shoot and kill a grocer, but Bart stops her in time. They have now been identified in national newspapers as notorious robbers. Bart proclaims that he wants to abandon his life of crime. Laurie persuades him to participate in one last large robbery so that they can flee the country and live in peace and comfort. They take jobs at a meat-processing plant and devise detailed plans. When they rob the payroll department, the office manager pulls the burglar alarm and Laurie shoots her dead. While fleeing the plant, Laurie also kills a security guard. Bart does not realize that both victims are dead, but he later learns about it in the newspaper. Laurie discloses that she had killed a man in
St. Louis during one of their holdups. She claims that these murders happened because her fear renders her unable to think clearly in the heat of the moment. To minimize the chance of being caught, Laurie and Bart separate, but they cannot bear to be away from each other. The
FBI becomes involved in the pursuit, and Laurie and Bart become the targets of an intense manhunt. In California, Bart arranges for their passage to Mexico, but the FBI finds them in a dance hall. Forced to run, they leave all of their loot behind. With roadblocks everywhere, they jump on a train and disembark near Ruby's house. Clyde, now the local sheriff, notices that the house's curtains are drawn and that the children are not in school. He informs Dave, and they plead with Bart to surrender. Laurie and Bart instead flee to the mountains. Pursued by police dogs, they are surrounded in
reed grass the next morning. In dense fog, Dave and Clyde approach to try to reason with them. When Bart sees that Laurie preparing to shoot them, he shoots her and is then killed by the police. ==Cast==