Rafe Judson, a Shiloh ranch hand, finds himself being mistaken for the outlaw Wally McCullough. Ben Robbins riding by Shiloh spots Rafe and reports him to Sheriff Abbott who arrests Rafe at Shiloh. Rafe is able to clear himself when he realizes he was branding cattle with Trampas and The Virginian at the time of the stagecoach holdup. The real Wally McCullough and his girlfriend Angie are holding up near Medicine Bow in a remote cabin until the heat dies down. They learn about the confusion from an article in the Medicine Bow newspaper. When Rafe learns he will lose the option on a ranch for which he has been saving, he decides to take advantage of the confusion and hold up the stage himself when he learns it will be carrying a $10,000 payroll. When Wally and Angie learn what Rafe has done, they decide to confront Rafe and take over his life to escape the law. Rafe finds he has dug a hole for himself, literally.
—Anonymous