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In town, the Virginian meets young Dan Grant (Paul Petersen) who shows him a new gun that cost him seven months wages. Dan gets the Virginian to agree give him a shooting lesson but they both accidentally walk into the bank just as it is being held up by three masked men. They are asked to give up their guns but when Dan hesitates with his new unloaded purchase, one gunman (John Agar) uses his rifle to knock it free. Dan lunges for his new possession and the startled gunman shoots him in the belly. The gunmen exit, the man who shot Dan telling the Virginian he had no choice. Dan dies as the Virginian kneels beside him. A posse fails to get the killer but find the horses abandoned by the robbers when they switched to fresh mounts, and a small sorrel mount has the brand of the Rocking D, Montana, Ranch.

The Virginian tells Sheriff Mark Abbott (Ross Elliott) he's going to track down the robbers. Steve Hill and Randy (Randy Boone) try to come along but the Virginian goes it alone. With the little sorrel horse in tow, he eventually comes to a livery stable in Medford, Montana run by Smudge Heinen (Peter Mamakos) and learns the horse was bought by three men, two of whom were "hard cases." One of those men was named "Pooch" and all three headed off for the town of Concho. Arriving in Concho he makes it known he is looking for a man called Pooch. Later, the two "hard cases," including Pooch (John Mitchum), break into his hotel room with the aim of killing him but the Virginian is waiting with the local Sheriff (Robert Karnes) and they arrest the two felons. From them, the Sheriff learns the third man was named Matthew Raines and that he was said to be heading to Morgan Flats.

In a rainstorm, the sorrel still in tow, the Virginian arrives at a farmstead looking for Raines. There he meets young boy, Tim Anders (Dennis Holmes) and his mother Karen (Sherree North), the latter of whom says her husband will be returning shortly. He asks if he can stay in the barn out of the rain for the night and is refused but as he turns to leave the woman collapses. The Virginian stays ands it is revealed Karen has a fever which breaks the next day so she begins to recover. The Virginian learns that her husband, who is often absent on business, is named Tom Anders. His queries lead him to the suspicion that Anders is the third gunman but as he decides to leave the ranch itself, Karen asks him to stay and he hires on for a $1.00 a day to get the farmstead in shape which he does, one presumes so he can watch and wait for Tom. He fixes up the place and bonds with the boy who misses the absent father figure. Karen also seems to be attracted to him. He decides to leave but on the day he is to depart, while away rounding up strays, three menacing Indians come to the ranch. He returns in time to scare them off but decides to spend the night there, fearing they will return. They do return that night and he is forced to kill one and run off the other two. Karen is upset and as he comforts her on the porch they kiss. She tells him however, he should leave the next day.

In the barn the next morning he learns the absent husband has returned. The husband sees the sorrel in the barn and each recognize the other's identity. In the kitchen Tom Anders learns Dan Grant died and admits to both the Virginian and his wife that he is the guilty culprit. The Virginian tries to get him to leave but he will not. He calls the boy to the house, believing the Virginian would not shoot him down in front of his family and would not like to have it revealed that he lied to the boy about the reason for his presence. The Virginian does leave and Tom tries to get his wife to agree to go to San Francisco with him but she will not. He knocks her down and goes to shoot the Virginian in the barn. Karen interferes such that the Virginian is only wounded in the shoulder and Tom Anders is killed. At the funeral, the boy runs away from the Virginian and refuses to come out at the ranch to say goodbye. He tells Karen she can visit him any time in Wyoming and rides off as the boy comes out of the house, still refusing to wave goodbye.