 Jim Malloy (Johnny Mack Brown) returns from the Civil War to Texas to find his father, Colonel Malloy (William Franum), leading a band of land grabbers and carpet-baggers during the Reconstruction Era. He learns of this from newspaper publisher Jonathan Taylor (Pat O Malley), who advocates the overthrow of Colonel Malloy s crooked regime, and his daughter Nan (Jennifer Holt.) Jim and his pal, "Happy" Snodgrass (Fuzzy Knight) save Taylor from Malloy s henchmen, led by Idaho (Harry Woods), and they side with the Governor s representative Brent Gordon (Tex Ritter) against the gang. When Jim kills one of the gang members, Captain Sneed (Kenneth Harlan), the Colonel s main aide, has him jailed and he is to be executed. Colonel Malloy goes to Gordon and Taylor, and they agree to take up arms to free Jim on the condition that the Colonel join their crusade against the lawlessness.