When Jake Burton hears that his father is murdered, he leaves Texas for his Colorado home in the Mancos Valley to seek justice. However, he takes a detour after helping the Hamman family fend off an Indian attack around their covered wagon. Adam Hamman is killed in the attack, leaving behind his widow, Elizabeth, and their son, Greg. Unwilling to leave them alone in the prairie, Jake takes them with him to Colorado.

After reaching his ranch in the Mancos Valley, Jake notices that many things have changed. Several of the ranches are now owned by one man, a newcomer named Gifford Clemens, who also controls the bank and much of the town. Jake looks for clues to discover who killed his father, with his suspicions on Clemens. But how to prove it? Can he keep his brother-in-law and sister safe while the trouble in Mancos Valley brews? And even if he finds the proof he needs to convict Clemens, will the townspeople be brave enough to stand with him for justice?