Forced in the line of duty to kill a young Abilene gunman, Sheriff Matthew Roberts (Marty Robbins)is torn by inner anguish and takes off his bade and leaves Kansas. Time passes and Roberts is known as 'The Drifter', wandering restlessly through the west. In Arizona, he aids an elderly rancher, Tom Duncan (Chill Wills), and his granddaughter, Virginia (Dovie Beams) and her kid-brother Danny (Steven Tackett) in their fight to save their small ranch from a crooked banker and his gang of outlaws.