 Ted Ellis and Ed Kane s planned robbery of Ralph O Shea s roadside diner goes awry when Ellis nervously shoots O Shea after he sees him reaching for a gun. The two are forced to flee, taking O Shea s 22-year-old daughter Kathy along as a hostage. The area is rough and mountainous, so Dan Mathews elects to use the Highway Patrol helicopter to pursue the two felons and their hostage. When Ellis and Kane see that they are being followed, they abandon Kathy and steal another woman s convertible in a panic-stricken attempt to escape the helicopter. After Dan finds that the women are unharmed, he forces a showdown with Ellis and Kane by ordering the helicopter to land on a dirt road just ahead of their stolen vehicle.