Following the Civil War, Federal Comissioner Shattuck has organized a gang to help him ride roughshod over the Texans. They rob a U. S. Army payroll wagon, kill the cavalry escort, make off with the $100,000 payroll, and frame Lieutenant Ross Kincaid for the crime. The latter is jailed in San Antion pending court martial. In Mustang, Texas, rancher Clint Wheeler leads a band who rob stagecoaches and distribute the money to local ranchers so they can pay the outrageous taxes Shattuck levys and hold onto their property until honest law-and-order comes. With the aid of "Happy" Daniels, Ross escapes jail and, assuming that Wheeler and his men are responsible for his plight, heads for Mustangs Wells, where he soon finds himself between the two factions.