Jonas Stone (Hugh Marlowe), a federal circuit judge in the early days of the West, comes to the frontier town of Tularosa to try a Mexican named Manuel Alvarez (John Alonzo) for murder. The town has never had an official trial before and Judge Stone is opposed by rancher Ben Matthews (Robert Wilke) who dominates the area. Weak- willed Sheriff John Millard (Alan Hale) tells Stone about the crime. Some days previous, Ben Matthews’ younger brother came to the barn of the Vega family, apparently to meet Alvarez’ wife Alicia (Lisa Montell). While waiting in the barn, he was shot with Alvarez’ pistol. Suspects are Alicia Alvarez, her proud mother, Senora Dona Vega (Madeleine Holmes), both of whom were in the house at the time, Ben Matthews, who had come looking for his brother, and Ortega (David Renard), Alvarez’ partner in their general store. Alvarez claimed that he was taking an inventory in the store the night of the murder but he has no witnesses.
On the day Stone arrives in Tularosa, he finds Will Matthews (Jeffrey Morris), another brother, trying to lynch Alvarez and later bullying Ortega when the sheriff tells him that Ortega sent for the judge. The bullying of Ortega is broken up by Reb Gilroy (Chris Robinson), a young gunslinger who has just arrived in town.
