Johnny Cobb (James Stewart) is the part-time sheriff in a small, rundown town, trying to stretch his meager salary to provide for his growing family. Poor Cobb isn’t much of a gunman, and he isn’t particularly suited for fighting, but he’s the man in charge when a gang of bandits led by Bob Larkin (Henry Fonda) rides into town. The tension rises as the bandits make themselves at home in Cobb’s town, but when a gunfight breaks out, Cobb finds himself pushed to the limit.