Ten years ago, Johnny Hartford left Credence, Texas to become a Pinkerton Agent in Chicago. Now on his return, everything has changed: his dying father will barely speak to him, his brother is running wild, and longhorn rustling is rife. Determined to make amends with his family and catch the cattle thieves, Hartford turns to old Sheriff Milton for help - but then a prominent local rancher is shot in the back, and Hartford discovers that almost everyone in the town has a reason for wanting him dead.