The marshal of San Ardo is murdered. The town is concerned it may be a part of a plot to rob the bank. There is only one able bodied man in town to serve as marshal but he doesn't want to serve.
A small Western town is jolted from its serenity by the murder of its marshal. The townspeople unanimously choose rancher Clay Burnett to fill the post and to track down the killers. But Burnett, desiring a quiet and peaceful life, refuses, and he is accused of being a coward.