 Little Joe is knocked unconscious and his horse is stolen by an outlaw. He wanders through the desert until he comes to a ghost town. He collapses in the street. When he comes to, finds himself being nursed back to health by a beautiful girl in Martinville, a quiet place full of friendly if mysterious townsfolk. After his recovery, Joe is surprised to be offered the position of Sheriff by the town s leaders. They tell him they need him to save them from a band of marauding outlaws. A woman attired in black warns Joe of the town s previous shameful betrayal of her husband, the town s previous sheriff. Still, Joe organizes resistance against the outlaws. In the end, Joe is forced to face the outlaws as the townsfolk grow increasingly diffident; and he is forced to come face to face with the final dark mystery of Martinville.