Slim Duane, a wandering cowpuncher in search of his stolen horse, is forced by a fugitive to exchange clothes and finds himself stranded and broke in a town. He is seen by Eben Purkiss, who mistakenly identifies him as the fugitive (Matt Holden) and rides for the sheriff.
"Blizz" Ballard, summoned by the Homesteaders' League to track down a gang of cattle rustlers, arrives in Paradise Valley. In the saloon, he is taunted by Jerome Garrett, who hopes to intimidate him but is himself beaten in a fight. Ballard, after proving himself by riding an outlaw horse, is taken on at the Gregg ranch. Garrett, in the family's favor and admired by Emily, the judge's daughter, accuses Ballard of being a cattle thief, while his accomplices capture and torture the sheriff.