Steve Ross has been forced to give up the struggle to keep his small ranch going during the Arizona's worst drought in living memory. He intends to leave town in the morning, but events result in him being given an unusual ultimatum. He must face the prospect of hanging for killing a man, or becoming the Deputy Marshal of Craigy Plains. Ross has never owned or fired a pistol, but following his appointment as a lawman he is taught how to handle a weapon by an old gunfighter. His prowess with a gun is soon given a severe test. He is drawn into the tragic events that put his own life in the greatest danger.