Trampas decides to track down where Cobey Jade obtained a silver watch that belonged to a friend. While with Jade who lives in an abandoned mining town, they are taken captive by a band of roving outlaws who believes Jade found gold there.
The Virginian during a cattle drive takes a silver watch in trade for a dead steer from a black man Cobey Jade after Jade accidentally caused a stampede. The musically talented Jade claims to own a nearby town. Trampas recognizing the watch as belonging to an old friend buys the watch and takes time off to track down Cobey to learn where he got the watch. Trampas finds Cobey living in an abandoned mining town he is trying to slowing rebuild. The beef he bought was for a tribe of nearby Arapaho Indian children who he is helping and teaching to sing. The pair find themselves prisoners of an outlaw group led by a wounded ex-Southner Henry Swann who takes his anger out on Cobey when they don't find the gold expected in the town. Cobey and Trampas are treated as slaves while the outlaws fight among themselves. Swann's girlfriend Roseanna is fed up with Swann while the other three men complain as well.