Schoolteacher Virginia King escapes the unwanted attentions of Sheriff Jud Cronin by leaving Mesa City and embarking on a stagecoach journey to Yuma. However, her trip is disrupted when the stagecoach is attacked by a gang led by Cronin's henchman, Pete Henderson. Cliff Mason, a former lawman, intervenes and disarms the outlaws, but not before they kill Marshal Andy Thompson during an arrest attempt. Cliff is then appointed marshal pro tem and sets out to arrest the outlaws, but Judge Wainwright, who is on Cronin's payroll, sets them free. Cliff eventually persuades the city council to pass a law restricting the carrying of firearms, which angers Cronin. In response, Cronin hires notorious gunman Duke Allison to deal with Cliff, but Cliff saves Duke's life and Duke joins him as a deputy marshal. The two are then arrested by Cronin for the killing of Henderson, and the jail is set on fire by Cronin.
The Marshal of Mesa City
In this gritty western, a retired lawman arrives in Mesa City, determined to bring order and justice to a town plagued by corruption, where a ruthless sheriff holds sway.
