Jim Hardie's task of catching the Manning Brothers is interrupted when his attempt to help a stranded man backfires. The man, John Leslie Nagel, has a $25,000 bounty on him so he trusts no one including Hardie who has no interest in him.

Hardie is sent to confer with the Colonel at Fort Chaplin which is closing now that a peace treaty has been signed. Wells Fargo is concerned about a rash of robberies in the area by a gang led by an ex-Army officer who deserted the Army.