John Carter is on top of the world as the sheriff in Destiny, one of the most law-abiding towns in the south-western states. But almost from the arrival of Rebecca Seymour, the attractive, temperamental Pinkerton agent, he is in trouble. Now he's a target for unknown assailants who want him injured - or dead - and they're not too fussy about their methods. Fleeing for his life, Carter goes from the jaws of danger into the maw of even more peril when he ends up in the clutches of the Sullivan clan who have many reasons to hate him. Reunited with Rebecca, and with the support of a rookie deputy, Carter is finally cornered and knows that he has to come out fighting, or everything he has fought for will be lost in a welter of corruption, destruction and murder.