The year was 1877, Josh Taggert is Deputy U.S. Marshal in Arizona territory. He is assigned to go to Prescott Arizona to cover for a sheriff who has been gunned down in a shootout in one of the saloons. Josh's orders are to maintain law and order in the town until a new sheriff can be announced. In route to Prescott, he happens upon a stagecoach robbery in progress. One passenger is a young single school teacher by the name of Lydia Talbot. She was coming to Prescott to live and teach school. Soon after their impromptu meeting they become friends and eventually get romantically involved, but where will their relationship lead? In the interim Josh is determined to find the sheriff's killer. During his search he encounters a multitude of troublemakers, outlaws, cattle and horse thieves, drunks, brawlers and prostitutes an altogether very unruly town.