Matt is riding along when he's confronted by Miguel Samando, a bandito who wants to kill the ""famous Matt Dillon."" Miguel isn't as fast as he thinks he is and is killed. Immediately thereafter another rider shows up, but this time is Matt's old ex-lawman friend Jack Pinto. Jack has decided to give up law enforcement and head to California to make his fortune. They drape Miguel over his horse and head for Dodge. Festus notices a rough looking character ride into Dodge and stop at the Long Branch. Failing to find Matt, he decides to check things out for himself. He goes to the Long Branch and finds three gunslingers; Doyle Phleger, Al Tresh and Billy Coe. Playing the role of a dim-witted hick in need of a drink, Festus makes friends with Al Tresh. A bottle or two later he gets Tresh to admit that he was offered

$25,000 to kill Matt. It turns out that Miguel, Doyle and Billy were made the same offer. When Matt gets into town Festus fills him in. Jack offers Matt hi

Judd Print and his two boys, Verlyn and Coy, have met Wade Bonney, his 12 year old son Homer, and his gravely ill wife on the trail and traveled together for a few days. After Mrs. Bonney dies, Judd shoots Wade in the back and steals all of his valuables. Verlyn knows what happened, but Coy doesn't because he was off looking for Homer at the time. From a hilltop Homer had witnessed the murder. Hiding, and refusing to come down for fear of being killed himself, he is left there to die of exposure. But, instead, Homer finds his father's gun and heads across the prairie to hunt Judd and his boys down. Doc runs across Homer while on the trail, gives him some water, almost gets shot, and takes him back to Dodge to tend his minor scratches and get some food into him. He also hides Homer's gun. When Homer sees Judd and Verlyn in town he searches Doc's office, finds the gun and goes after them. Not realizing that Doc removed the bullets, he gets cornered in Moss Grimm

Six years after her husband's hanging, Ma Stone plots her revenge against Matt Dillon by first kidnapping Kitty to use as a lure and then jailing Matt to be hanged on the morning of the second day with Kitty watching as her man died.

Three bounty hunters hold hostages in the Long Branch to get Matt to turn over a prisoner to them.