The midnight murder of a rancher and his wife leaves circumstantial evidence pointing the finger of guilt toward a married couple, George Braden and his wife Ellen, who live and work on the ranch. George confesses to the killings in order to free his wife from hours of grilling by the police. Despite the best efforts of his defense attorney Doug Madison, George gets the death penalty. Subsequent events, and his sympathy for Ellen convince Doug that George is innocent, but he must find the real murderer to prove it. His manhunt leads to a former hired hand, Max Verne. With the help of the latter's greedy girlfriend, Gracie Sanger, Max is found and admits to the killings. But when a hearing is held, a psychiatrist pronounces him unsound of mind but harmless, and the judge sets him free. After the Governor rejects Doug's pleas for an appeal for George, the townspeople turn against him, and his fiancée Paula Mitchener misconstrues his association with Ellen and breaks their engagement, and, having spent all his own money in an effort to achieve justice for George, and with his practice gone, Doug prepares to leave town.