A tough quiet cowboy named Rocklin (John Wayne) boards a stagecoach headed for the Arizona town of Santa Inez in the late 1800s. He takes a seat alongside the old cantankerous driver, Dave (George "Gabby" Hayes), who enjoys giving his two women passengers—overbearing Miss Elizabeth Martin (Elisabeth Risdon) and her kindhearted niece Clara Cardell (Audrey Long)—a rough ride through the mountain roads of the sage country. When they stop to rest the horses at a roadside inn, they meet Sheriff Jackson and Bob Clews from Santa Inez, who are investigating the theft of cattle. When Rocklin asks about Red Cardell, the owner of the stolen K.C. Ranch cattle, he learns that he is Clara's great uncle and was recently murdered. A drunken Dave insults them and, pretending to be his friends, they take him to the barn for a "short laydown". Later Rocklin discovers him unconscious after being pistol-whipped. Rocklin drives the stage the rest of the way to Santa Inez.