On assignment in Latin America, Adam Shepherd (Bridges) learns that an American has been killed while fighting in a nearby revolution. He joins the Army officer sent to pick up the dead man's effects, which include a watch inscribed with the name Dutch Miller (also played by Lloyd Bridges).
While driving in the desert, Adam comes upon a tow truck pulling a Model A Ford from a lake with a "Just Married" sign on the bumper. He imagines why the vehicle ran off the road and what happened to the inhabitants.
A race-car driving champion is seeing a millionairess who wishes he would retire, but because he has had crashes, he feels the need to continue to stubbornly prove himself.