When Nathan Palmer and Jeff Morgan save Patrick Hilton's life, the delighted old prospector lets them join him on a mission to reclaim a gold nugget he left buried in an abandoned mine tunnel. But their quest goes awry when they reach the location only to find that it is now in the middle of the bustling mine at Copper Town.

The three men are already facing a race against time to find the gold before the tunnel re-opens, and their situation worsens when a gunslinger arrives to stake his claim for the nugget with hot lead. Now a stand-off develops – one in which the victors' prize will be the gold and the losers' fate will be a trip to Boot Hill. . . .