When Tom Saunders is charged with disturbing the peace, Mr. Larmer, representative of the Illinois Live Stock Corporation, comes to his aid. Larmer hires Tom to investigate the disappearance of cattle from the Lazy Y Ranch near Rawhide. Larmer then sends a letter to the corporation's superintendent, John Brownell, stating that Tom is to take over handling the cattle. As Tom heads to the ranch, he runs into Don Pablo Juan Jose Joaquin Aliso de la Cruz Gonzales, and his partner, Lem Holt, whom Pablo calls "Señor Blinky." The two men travel with Tom. Meanwhile, Brownell, who has not yet received Larmer's letter, has unwittingly hired a rustler, Nate, to care for the ranch's cattle. Once in town, Tom speaks to Brownell, who does not know that Tom was sent by Larmer, and he confides to Tom that nesters are settling on part of the ranch property. Brownell hires Tom to gain control of a house that the nesters are using. Tom takes Pablo and Lem with him, but the nesters turn out to be only a man, Mr. Powell, and his daughter Betty. Tom lets them continue to stay and confronts Nate on the reason that they must evict the Powells. Brownell claims to be unaware that the Powells were the nesters, and Tom decides that Nate is untrustworthy. Tom returns to Pablo and Lem to find that Lem has been killed by ambushers, and that the Powells have lost faith in Tom and have told Brownell to fire him. The sheriff arrests Tom for killing Lem. While Tom is in jail, Nate's man Clem takes Betty and her father hostage. The next day, Tom escapes from the jail and talks Brownell into helping him. The two men and Pablo capture Clem and Nate, and then free the Powells. Brownell agrees to hire Tom as ranch foreman, and the ranch even has a house, in which a married foreman and his wife can live, a feature which appeals to Tom, now that he and Betty have fallen in love.