Hannah Tolman approaches U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon with a plea to protect her father, Jed Tolman, by placing him in jail. She fears for his safety, suspecting that someone intends to kill him. Jed, a hard-drinking man with a secret, refuses to disclose who might be after him. The situation intensifies when it's revealed that Jed's son, Vic Tolman—recently released from prison for robbery and murder—may be involved. Marshal Dillon must navigate the tangled web of the Tolman family's past and present to prevent further bloodshed.