Los Piños was a rip-roaring town filled with all the riffraff of the untamed West. Gamblers and gunfighters had their run of the town. The only law code was: mind your own business; don't ask fool questions; and if you get into a difficulty, you have to fight your own way out of it. Dan Clifford knew the code and tried to steer clear of trouble. He had saved some money as a mule skinner and was ready to start his own freight business. When he stopped to help Milly Sutherland and her two siblings fix a wagon and escorted them to Los Piños, he felt an obligation to get her settled safely in town. Jasper Ford was the leader of the gamblers and the most notorious gunfighter in West Texas. Twelve men had challenged him and every one had ended up in Boot Hill. When Ford shows an interest in Milly, Dan finds himself caught in the middle. It seems his mere existence is an insult to Ford. When Ford nails a challenge to the Challenge Tree, Dan knows its an invitation to his own funeral. But Dan also knows he doesn't intend to run.