When cowboy John Mason returns to town after an absence of several years to visit his father, he immediately gets into a fight with a stranger named Ben McClure. The tussle ends amicably, however, and Ben offers to buy a round of drinks and introduces John to his sweetheart, Alice Gordon. The two men quickly discover that John's father Dan is also Ben's employer, and Ben offers to accompany John to the express office managed by Dan. Arriving just in time to witness Dan being robbed and killed by a gang of bandits, John goes after the culprits and shoots two of them, but is himself wounded. Alice nurses John back to health, and as he slowly recovers, he begins to fall in love with her. In the meantime, the barkeeper of the local saloon, who is in league with the bandits, suggests to their leader that John be murdered. John's life is saved, however, when Alice unwittingly diverts the attention of the designated killer, her brother Rudd. John, suspicious of Rudd and the barkeeper, sets a trap by telling the barkeeper of a gold shipment he is guarding, and when the gang of bandits arrives to rob him, John succeeds in killing all of them except Rudd, who escapes. John confronts Rudd back at the Gordon ranch and is challenged to a duel when he refuses to leave town at Rudd's command. Rudd later suggests to Ben, who had seen him arguing with John, that their quarrel was over Alice, and Ben, consumed with jealousy, secretly empties John's revolver. As John and Rudd prepare to face off in town, Alice convinces Ben that John did not betray him, and Ben realizes that Rudd murdered Dan. Ben rides into town to save John and shoots Rudd as he is about to fire at his defenseless opponent. After being shot by the barkeeper, who is subsequently killed by John in a fight, Ben dies in John's arms while the undertaker begins to measure the barkeeper for a casket. Later, John and Alice ride off in a wagon, having just been "hitched."