 Clint Farrel returns from law school to find a railroad man named Hudson and his henchman running off ranchers along the railroad right-of-way. Clint tries to organize the ranchers to fight Hudson s depredations until the U.S. government can send investigators, but the railroad man knows that, in order to claim squatters  rights, the ranchers must have a 12x15 farmhouse on their property, or the land becomes forfeit. His owlhoots resort to arson to execute their land grab and frame Clint for murder to get him out of the way.