Cowboy Rocklin (John Wayne) rides into a dusty western township where he's been promised work on a ranch. But when he finds that his future boss has been gunned down, he's forced to find work elsewhere. Despite his sexist attitudes, Rocklin charms the fiery Arly (Ella Raines) with his cavalier bravado and lands a job at her family's ranch. There, however, he learns that Judge Garvey (Ward Bond) was involved in his original employer's murder and is now trying to steal the dead man's land.