Leon Alastray is an outlaw who is offered asylum by Father John and escorted to the town of San Sebastian. The community has been abandoned, with its cowardly people hiding in the hills from Indians who regularly raid the village and steal all of its goods. When Father John is assassinated, the townspeople mistake the criminal for the priest. Alastray initially informs them that he is not a priest, but they do not believe him, and an apparent miracle appears to validate their point. He eventually helps them regain their confidence and protect themselves.