In Mount Gorpus, Montana, Kyle Lawson (Britt Lomond) is framed for the murder of Lawrence Kelland. Kyle had been having an affair with Kelland's wife, Leona (Dana Wynter). The Virginian and Trampas, friends of Kyle, go to Mount Gorpus to investigate the crime. Posing as a cattle buyer, the Virginian begins romancing Leona. Leona eventually confesses to the murder but the Virginian is not so sure she is guilty.

The Virginian and Steve Hill deliver 1800 head of cattle to Centre City, Nebraska. There is a run on the local bank but fortunately, Judge Garth's lawyer (Russ Conway) had heard of the possible bank run and had withdrawn the money to pay for the cattle the day before. The Virginian and Steve set out for home but are pursued by a local man, Swenson (Karl Swenson), and his sons who had their life savings in the bank and figure part of money is theirs. The episode recounts the adventures and travails of the two Shiloh men as they attempt to elude those pursuers.

The well-off Caroline Witman (Joan Freeman) and her Aunt Grace (Lillian Bronson) visit Medicine Bow on their way from San Francisco to New York. Caroline falls in love with the Virginian who generally ignores her but a Shiloh hand, Jefferson Tolliver (Dick York), becomes smitten with her and she encourages Tolliver's advances in order to make the Virginian jealous. Tolliver's ambitions are thwarted by a lack of money and when he catches an unemployed hand rustling cattle, rather than turn him in, he joins him in crime. However, they end up murdering a ranch hand and this eventually leads to a penultimate confrontation between Tolliver and his friend, the Virginian.

The Virginian is friends with Mary Ann Martin (Patricia Breslin) and her young son Cricket (Casey Peters) who live near Shiloh ranch. A detective named Corbett (Joseph Campanella) and his client, Judith Holly (Ruta Lee), claim that Cricket is actually Holly's son and that she wants him back. The Virginian attempts to ferret out the truth of the situation in order for Mary Ann to retain custody of the boy. The affair culminates in a series of surprising events at a judicial hearing.

Posing as a newspaper man, James Templeton (Steve Forrest) comes to Medicine Bow to interview Judge Garth who is a leading candidate for territorial senator. Betsy Garth is smitten with James who is just about perfect in everything he does whether it is riding or shooting and this makes Trampas suspicious. His suspicions turn out to be well-grounded.

A landslide blocks the pass needed to drive the Shiloh cattle to the rail line. The only alternative route would have to cross the property of Junius Antlow (Tom Tully), an arch enemy of Judge Garth, and Antlow refuses permission to use that route. The Judge hires Big Jim Lafferty (Leo Gordon), foreman of a crew of Chinese coolies, to clear a way through the blocked pass. Amongst the Chinese, disguised as a man, is a girl, Kam Ho (Cely Carrillo) who falls in love with the Virginian even though she is promised in marriage to one of the other workers named Chang (Kam Tong). Junius Antlow attempts to sabotage the work, hoping the cattle will starve, and in the process some of the Chinese labourers are killed and others wounded. His actions bring him into conflict not only with the Judge but also with his own son, Chris (Tom Simcox), and tragedy results.