Southern veteran Ned Britt returns home to Fort Worth after the Civil War with his mentor, newspaperman Ben Garvin, along with his young apprentice, in hopes of building the town into a modern metropolis. However, the area is terrorized by the ruthless Gabe Clevenger and his gang of hired guns. Britt wonders whose side his old friend Blair Lunsford is on. Lunsford has used the unrest to buy up parcels of land on the cheap and hopes to profit from this speculation after the territory is cleaned up and ultimately become governor. Britt sees through his friend's ambition, and they are alternately allies and antagonists. Britt is also distracted by girl-next-door Flora Talbott and and seductive Amy Brooks.