From the moment he pins his father's bloodied star on his chest, Sheriff Simms fulfills his calling, hunts his father's killer, and eludes the U.S. marshal with his fallen-away Mormon deputies who hunt the sheriff for the bounty on his head levied because he maintains two families. Over four years, the sheriff brings the killer to justice and stays a step ahead of the marshals. When the deputized Judases capture Simms, his community engineers his escape. Legislation dissolves his church and transfers its property to the government. The U.S. marshal faces greater profits as court receiver. The murderer stands before the firing squad, and Sheriff Simms is no longer a fugitive.