Ruben Pardoe is arrested for acts of treachery. To prove his innocence and find the men responsible for these acts of which he has been falsely accused, he has to break out of military prison. When Ruben eventually catches up with his target, he realizes the times have changed. The Civil War is over, and people he once knew as comrades must be reassessed. In the town of Vinegar Wells, nothing is quite as it seems. When the insightful sheriff proposes a two-day bail for the real turncoats to be brought to book, Ruben has little choice but to accept. With a suspicious quarry in front of him and grasping hunters behind, Ruben finds himself in a perilous situation. With timely support from an unexpected quarter, he has a new incentive alongside proving his innocence. But has he the resolve to settle the affair?