美國菸酒槍炮及爆裂物管理局（ATF）的前探員路見不平，從毒販手上解救了一名女子，想不到人生卻從此大轉彎。女子說服他偷走毒販的錢，兩人一起遠走高飛，卻因此被無法無天的毒販頭子盯上，展開一場貓捉老鼠的血腥遊戲。他很快發現，這攤渾水，他不蹚也不行！

　　影片聚焦神秘流浪汉保罗(霍克饰)为穿越墨西哥贫瘠沙漠，决意铤而走险途径“暴力山谷”，各色危机也就此接踵而至。

1978年，绰号“蝎子”的乔（雅姆·朗德里·埃贝尔 James Landry Hébert 饰）和同伙兰尼（Michael Villar 饰）刚刚打劫了银行，路上还顺带抓了无辜女子薇薇安·方丹（阿什丽·贝尔 Ashley Bell 饰）当人质。他们驾驶汽车公路上狂奔，而警察紧随其后。追捕过程中，伦尼中弹，虽然侥幸甩掉警察，不过伦尼最终还是死去。乔和薇薇安合力扔掉了伦尼的尸体，接着继续逃亡。然而他们不小心驶入一个私人领地，汽车先是被枪打爆了胎，随后乔也遭人射杀。接着手持狙击枪的男子怀特·莫斯（帕特·希利 Pat Healy 饰）面带微笑出现在惶恐的薇薇安面前。 　　薇薇安看似幸运地逃脱了蝎子的控制，但却不小心踏入了一群杀人狂魔的领地……

　　Diz (Joel Courtney) is a reckless teenage drifter living life on the run. Abandoned by his parents as a child, he looks out for himself and doesn't accept handouts. He takes whatever he wants and runs. Jaded and determined to answer to no one, Diz lives a life marked by thievery and abandonment. Things change for Diz when he floats into a small town on the Snake River. There he is confronted by an unflappable old man named Marty and falls for Marty's guarded granddaughter, Selah. When Diz robs a local drug-dealing crazy, he becomes the owner of a giant pile of cash and the target of two vicious killers. With more money than he knows what to do with, and criminals at his heels, Diz puts the people he's learned to care about in danger, still trying to win Selah. But some things can't be stolen or bought. The River Thief is a film about guilt, self-sacrifice, and accepting life as a gift.

Acerebralrevengefilmabouttwoadoptedsiblingswhofallinlove,andhatchaplantokilltheirabusivefather.