Carl Brandon (Forrest Tucker) is the Sheriff of Laramie, a town full of busybodies who are outraged that his longtime friend, rancher Ralph Carpenter (Jim Davis), has underage half-Indian Irene (Mara Corday) working and living at his ranch since he separated from his wife.
Sheriff Brandon is also close to Carpenter’s estranged wife Teresa (Kathleen Crowley) and possibly in love with her himself.
When Carpenter is served with a legal paper he loses his temper and in a battle with the town’s attorney (Lewis Martin), he kills him in self-defence and is forced to flee town with the Sheriff in hot pursuit. But several of the townsfolk are concerned that the sheriff will allow his friendship with Ralph Carpenter to get in the way of his duty, so they form a posse to catch up with Carpenter first.
Things are made worse by the presence in the town of a professional gunslinger (Lee Van Cleef) who has been hired to get Ralph Carpenter away from his ranch so it can be used for branding stolen cattle. John Reilly (Tom Brown) is the crooked saloon owner who hires the gunman to stir up most of the trouble.
Sheriff Brandon must stand up to the vigilantes and uphold the law, even if it means jailing the entire town to bring the lynch-crazed townsfolk under control. Mob violence and a thrilling gun duel provide the exciting finale.
Sheriff Carl Brandon
Forrest Tucker Ralph Carpenter
Jim Davis Irene
Mara Corday Teresa Carpenter
Kathleen Crowley Doug Sadler
Lee Van Cleef Sampson
Hank Worden John Reilly
Tom Brown Lesser
Gerald Milton Steven Hardy
Lewis Martin Undertaker
Vince Barnett Mrs Merrick
Edith Evanson
