Cattlemen's Protective Association agent Tom Wade masquerades as outlaw Luke Bardes, hired to help Jed Travis persuade his niece Jennifer to sell him her ranch at a ridiculously low price, enabling him to turn a huge profit when the railroad has to buy the right-of-way through his property. Tom finds himself in big trouble when Bardes breaks out of jail and shows up at the ranch with a few of his rough-and-trouble companions.