Matt Dillon rides wearily into Dodge City after thirty-six hours in the saddle. At the office he can't get to sleep because Festus is so exuberant about everything. In the course of the day Matt fights with a prisoner and is stabbed with a fork. Kitty will not talk to him because duty caused him to miss a picnic. There is a brawl in the Longbranch Saloon. A young boy locks a crotchety old woman in a safe that has no available combination. Finally, Matt takes things into his own hands.

Adam Kimbro, Matt Dillon's mentor as a lawman, is down on his luck. He's a lush, cleaning horse stalls for his next meal. Kimbro takes a short term job as a deputy with Matt, where he must face the kind of man he has become.