Texas Ranger Andy Pickard, newly married and unsure of himself and his choice of career, is given what appears to be a routine assignment: find and arrest a horse trader named Donley Bannister who is accused of murder. The difficulty begins after Andy locates Bannister�s West Texas hideout and is shot by one of the trader�s cohorts. In an ironic twist, Bannister saves the ranger�s life by taking him to a cow camp where his wound can be treated. Then Bannister disappears.This routine assignment gets even more complicated after Andy heals well enough to ride and follows the trader�s young wife, hoping she will lead him to her husband. Near Fort Concho the ranger�s mission is interrupted when Bannister is shot and left for dead by an outlaw who takes Geneva Bannister hostage and brutally assaults her. Even after Bannister is apprehended, danger lurks; one of the trader�s enemies is determined to ambush the ranger and his prisoner. From the experience, Andy Pickard learns a valuable lesson: nothing stirs emotions in Texas as men stealing other men�s horses.