After helping to deliver five hundred head of cattle to a local dealer, California Carlson heads into town to do some gambling and drinking. His partners, Hopalong Cassidy and Lucky Jenkins, decide that they had better follow to keep an eye on him. In the meantime, the prim, middle-aged schoolteacher, Miss Abott, is disturbed by noise coming from a new saloon next door and throws apples through several of its windows. The owner, Steve Mawson, thinks a rival saloon owner, Dink Davis, is responsible for the damage. However, Hoppy suspects that Miss Abott is involved and goes to talk with her. She complains that Mawson told the town council, which she says is intimidated by Mawson, that he was going to build a general store on the site. Hoppy offers to negotiate with Mawson, whose men are now throwing rocks through the windows of Davis' saloon, but Davis is already confronting Mawson with several of his henchmen and Hoppy struggles to keep the peace. Miss Abott comes to the saloon and admits to breaking Mawson's windows and says that she will continue until he leaves. Some men kidnap the teacher and tie her up in a remote cabin. As Hoppy accuses Mawson of having abducted Miss Abott, her students run wild in her absence. Mawson draws a gun on Hoppy, but Hoppy shoots it out of his hand and informs him that he is staying around until the teacher is found. When Hoppy takes over as teacher, one of the children mentions that Mawson has a cabin about six miles out of town. Hoppy and Lucky head out there, leaving California in charge at the school, and are followed by one of Mawson's henchmen. Hoppy and Lucky spot the outlaw and tie him up, then locate the cabin and free Miss Abott. Meanwhile, Davis tells Mawson he knows where the teacher is and tells him to close down and leave town. When Hoppy and the others arrive back in town, Mawson tells Miss Abott that he had nothing to do with her being kidnapped. Hoppy now suspects that Davis engineered the abduction to generate more trouble for Mawson. Davis admits the frame-up and draws a gun on the group. Miss Abott throws an apple at him, knocking the gun out of his hand, as Hoppy shoots him. Mawson thanks Hoppy for his help and, to make peace with Miss Abott, says that he will buy Davis' saloon and convert it into a new school. With everything peaceful again, Hoppy, California and Lucky head back to their ranch.