United States Marshal Andrew Barclay (Randolph Scott) arranges the escape of outlaw Tom Tanner (Forrest Tucker) in order to locate the $250,000 in gold stolen by Tanner in stagecoach robbery. Tanner notices he's being followed by Barclay, whose appearance suggests he is a greenhorn. Tanner ambushes Barclay and forces him to trade clothes and accompany him to a bank, where Tanner retrieves an envelope containing a map from a safe deposit box showing the location of the stolen gold.