Jeb's brother, Sergeant Gaine, discovers that three of his men have been falsely convicted in a drumhead court-martial for desertion to cover up for their commanding officer's illegal attack on a band of Piute Indians that resulted in the deaths of Wells Fargo stagecoach passengers. Hardie and Prentiss, the governor's agent, must act quickly to save the condemned men before Colonel Bledsoe can silence the potential witnesses against him by executing the soldiers.