A gunfighter returning home to Pecos, New Mexico after the Civil War finds the town boss Sam Brewster has cheated him out of his ranch. Holing up, and armed to the teeth, the townsfolk decide to hire a professional gunslinger when in rides Jules Gaspard d'Estaing. A deadly shot and an expert poker player, he can also play the spinet and quote poetry, but he has a secret grudge against his employers.