Warlock is a small Utah mining town of the early 1880s. Cowboys working for Abe McQuown often come into town to shoot the place up, kill on just a whim, beating or humiliating any sheriff who tries to stand up to them. The Citizens' Committee decides to hire Clay Blaisedell, a renowned gunfighter, as town marshal in spite of the misgivings of some, such as old Judge Holloway who insists that the situation should be handled within the law (though a loophole prevents it from being done effectively).