When a railroad company cheats Missouri farmers out of their land, Sheriff Whittaker (George "Gabby" Hayes) alerts his friend, kindhearted outlaw Jesse James (Roy Rogers), about their problem. As Jesse comes out of retirement to help the farmers, his evil look-alike, Clint Burns (also Rogers), appears in town to create havoc. Reporters Polly (Sally Payne) and Jane (Gale Storm) pressure the sheriff and railroad manager Phineas Krager (Pierre Watkin) about the increasingly tense situation.