Clint Tolliger (Robert Mitchum) arrives in the small town of Sheridan, where he knows his ex-wife Nelly (Jan Sterling) lives. She ran away a few years ago, no longer able to bear a husband who endangered her life on a daily basis. Thanks to his skill with weapons, he specialized in "cleaning up" small towns. In Sheridan, Clint is just checking in on Nelly and their 5-year-old daughter, whom he has hardly ever seen. At the same time, he hopes to reconcile and start a new life together with his wife, who now works as a Saloon Gal in the establishment run by Frenchy Lescaux (Ted De Corsia). But Nelly seems unwilling to resume their former relationship. Clint nevertheless decides to stay in town, having immediately realized that she could use his help. With his reputation as "Town Tamer" following him, the town council led by the blacksmith (Emile Meyer) decides to hire him to put an end to the diktat of the local potentate, the untouchable Dade Holman, who never leaves his house and lets his private army impose its own law. Clint accepts on condition that no one interferes with his work, and he alone decides what methods to use. Young Jeff Castle (John Lupton) is currently holding his own against Holman's henchmen, having just driven them off his future property with a shotgun. His life now hangs by a thread, but he refuses to give in despite the reprimands of his fiancee (Karen Sharpe), the farrier's daughter, who can't stand violence. As for Clint, he wastes no time and, for $500, begins his unscrupulous "housework", backed up by the sheriff (Henry Hull) who, until now, had never dared lift a finger. The notables, for their part, are beginning to be bitten by the idea of having hired a man even more violent than those he has to fight..