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A young cowhand rides up to Matt and Chester with a problem. His dad is a retired army officer, and is a firm disiplinarian. The Colonel has had a dispute with his foreman along the cattle drive, and there could be trouble brewing in town. Wanting to impress his dad, and rise to the occasion, the kid wants advice on where to buy a gun, and tips on using it. Matt tries to warn him off that path, and assures the kid that he’ll handle it.
In the Long Branch, Matt approaches the Colonel to try to get him to understand that civilians respond differently than soldiers to orders on the job. He also manages to talk to the foreman, to see if he can keep him from doing anything rash. Will the two head strong men calm down? Has Matt put an end to the hard feelings?
The body of the foreman is found, but was it the son, or the father who did the deed? The most obvious clues point to the son, but the father tries to take the blame to protect his boy. Matt discovers a possible third suspect. A gambler has lost a bundle to the foreman, and had the motive to kill and steal his money back. Does this let the Colonel and his son off the hook? Matt learns the truth once he returns to the jail to find a futile attempt at a jail break, and maybe the needless killing of innocent people.
