In what is perhaps Fritz Lang's most personal and psychological western, RANCHO NOTORIOUS suffuses the bleak sensibility and textbook psychology of his earlier Film Noir work with a romantic and somewhat sentimental vision of the old west.

In 1870s Wyoming, the fiancée of a cowboy named Vern is savagely raped and murdered. Enraged, Vern sets out to find her killer. His search eventually leads him to a ranch called Chuck-a-Luck which serves as a hideaway for outlaws. But when he meets the ranch's alluring owner, aging saloon queen Altar Keane (Marlene Dietrich), and begins to fall in love with her, his search is thrown off course. The movie's theme song leads the narrative inexorably along in Vern's suspenseful quest to unearth and trap the unknown killer, but his newfound allegiance to Altar confuses his intentions. Posing as an escaped criminal himself, Vern finally comes face to face with his target in the wake of a botched bank robbery, and the violence that began his quest comes full circle. Looking for guidance and salvation, Vern decides to tell Altar everything, but the residents of Chuck-a-Luck would prefer that Altar sided with them, leading to a cycle of death, murder, and revenge.