
Bordertown is about to have its first mayoral election, but rancher Henry Jordan is initially the only candidate, and he intends to remove Marshal Craddock and replace him with a rogue who is sympathetic to the ranchers. When the town's newspaper prints Jordan's intentions and endorces Zack Denny, who decides to join the race, the press is destroyed and the journalist injured.
A branch of the pony express is scheduled to run through Bordertown, promising employment for the town's young men, including Bruno Danzinger, but the route will carry the riders through Indian burial grounds. Angered that their sacred burial grounds have been disturbed, the Indians threaten war if the route is not changed.