Johnny Yoder is the deputy sheriff in Cottonwood Springs. He is courting Molly Teplin, the local school teacher and wife of gunfighter, Slade Teplin. Teplin has not been in town for five years thus really abandoning his wife with no support payments or communication. While she would like to divorce Slade, she is fearful of his reaction especially towards Johnny.

It all comes to a head when Teplin shows up in town for a surprise visit and creates an issue by killing the son of a local rancher in a gunfight. Teplin intends to humiliate his wife, kill Johnny and destroy the town for what the residents did to him in his youth. A short, fast action western novel that Patten is known for. ( )