After returning home, Billy is placed on trial for murder and escapes, becoming a wanted fugitive who drifts toward the American Southwest and Mexico, where he joins Pesita’s revolutionary band and gradually develops from a street fighter into a capable leader amid raids, pursuit, and civil conflict. Barbara eventually comes to Mexico and their paths cross again, drawing Billy into bank robberies, conspiracies, betrayals, and repeated rescue attempts while he struggles between his love for her, his sense of duty, and the burden of his criminal past. In the final crisis Eddie Short proves his courage and loyalty, while Billy and Barbara at last acknowledge their love, bringing Billy’s transformation from brutal “mucker” to a man capable of devotion, sacrifice, and responsibility to completion.