When Texas Ranger Andy Pickard is ordered to arrest Donley Bannister for murder, it turns out to be anything but a routine duty. Instead, the mission is interrupted by an ugly racial incident, an assault, and murder. Pickard must unravel this tangled series of events to bring an accused killer to justice. Texas Ranger Andy Pickard is sent to investigate a series of killings and cattle thefts. The two biggest cattlemen in the area blame each other, but neither man looks guilty. The case is complicated by the rise of "regulators"—masked vigilantes—and the arrival of a notorious hired gunman. A standoff in the county jail will bring to justice the men responsible for the killings and thievery.