A escaped prisoner kills the wife and son of a former sheriff, Matt Austin, who sent him to jail long ago. Austin rides in pursuit and locates his quarry in a small town saloon. During the ensuing gunfight, an innocent bystander is shot and the murderer escapes. As a penance, the ex-lawman agrees to help the dead rancher's wife fend off a land baron's attempt to steal her property for its valuable water rights.