Ben Matthews gives up the flashy life of a riverboat gambler, hoping to settle down in Galena with his girlfriend, luscious entertainer Zoe. But, Galena's leading citizen is murdered on the riverboat while on their way. Ben is implicated on arrival and flees, all the while working both sides of the law to clear his name. Three years of wandering later, Zoe's letters stop coming and Ben returns to find her. Encountering Rick Harper, whom he initially takes as a would be bandit, they develop a friendship that winds up with both men saving the other's neck.