When the orphaned Taylor family, headed by big sister Clemency, is caught up in the crossfire for water rights in 1892 Wyoming, prospects for saving their ranch from cattle baron Sylvester Burchfield seem dim. But help is assured with the unexpected arrival of rugged Eben Harris, answering a newspaper ad secretly placed by the older Taylor boys. As Eben becomes more involved in the family troubles, so is his lonely heart filled by their warmth and generosity. Inevitably, he and lovely Clemency are drawn to each other. Yet some dark mystery in Eben’s past holds him back. On the day that young Robbie Taylor disappears, Clemency rushes to the Two Pair Ranch, owned by Burchfield, to rescue her brother. There, finding Eben in conference with the cattleman, she discovers the awful truth: her cowboy hero is actually Burchfield’s hired gun.