When cattle baron Thane McAllister's daughter Julie disappears from her home and a ransom note signed by the notorious Coldwater brothers arrives at the ranch, the cattleman calls on his longtime friend U.S. Marshall Chance Ridgeway to deal with the situation. Marshal Ridgeway deputizes cowboy Merlin Fanshaw and sends him and legendary tracker Hoodoo Hawks to deliver the ransom and rescue Julie. The job is supposed to be a simple one, but Merlin soon learns that a simple assignment can sometimes be the most difficult of all.