The annual Kimble Ranch cattle drive begins auspiciously as thousands of hooves plod wearily across the West Texas plains toward the railhead. Soon, blistering heat and violent thunderstorms create havoc. The spooked herd panics, leaving an ornery old cuss incapacitated and his chuck wagon broken down. The cattle drive temporarily stalled, young trail hands are sent to the hard luck settlement of Sorrowful where they encounter a shamed senorita, a sympathetic padre and a kindly blacksmith.
Meanwhile, a trio of renegades leave a path of destruction as they too make their way to Sorrowful. A random confrontation leads to tragedy. In a cloud of dust, Wylie Fairchild's vengeful chase ensues across the windswept Texas Panhandle and deep into the wild Palo Duro Canyon. Sorrowful is a rip-roarin' old time cowboy yarn featuring unsung heroes and truly mean villains who stoke the flames of misfortune.