When the tall stranger rides quietly into town, nobody pays him much mind. Another drifter, they think, on his way to St. Jo. But Mike Shafter is anything but a drifter - he means to stay in Azul. And before the night ends, he will challenge the power of the Wolcotts, who own Azul lock, stock and gun barrel. He will defy their order to leave town, and furthermore, he will slap down the vicious Wolcott nephew, contemptuously refusing to go for his gun. Finally, he will take on Con McCloud, who has beaten and killed on Wolcott orders. For that matter, Mike Shafter will take on the whole town, because he knows that somewhere nearby lies the answer to his father's death and the murder of his best friend.