Tom Cardy knew he was a lucky man. He had the perfect wife, great land, good workers and a bright future. But one fateful day his luck changed when his wife, Caroline, was killed in a stage-coach ambush.

Along with good friend Jack Madrid, he begins the hunt for Caroline's killer. At first it seems all their leads are dead ends. Their number one suspect ends up dead too.

But after a detour to find the brothers of a man killed in the ambush, things start to come together. They meet Jubal Johnson, manager of the local bank who is sympathetic to Tom's loss, and they hear about Rune Ballard, a lout who might have been involved in the ambush but ends up dead.

Slowly, the pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place and Tom at last, through another innocently slain person, finds the one responsible for his beloved Caroline's death.