Chastity Turnbull's eyes lock on Cady Dillon, a lanky cowpoke strolling into her boarding house. Soon the pair agree to a mutually-satisfying comtract. Seth McGee has his hands full with his tomboyish daughter, Kate. He wants her married, but she holds off marying anyone, cherishing a crush on Cady. She dreams about the brown-eyed cowboywho rode off from the S-bar-M ranch without a single word. Riding a winning streak at poker, Cady plans to leave Virginia City very rich, but he waits just a tad too long, and looses everything in a single hand. Chastity learns she doesn't have very long to live. She gives Cady traveling money and sends him away. She leaves a generous behest to her girls. Everything but half the silver mine Emmitt Turnbull left her when he died. She takes her own life the day Lucus Titus is killed for cheating at cards. Cady returns to Dry Wells, Texas, and limps into the S-bar-M ranch with his lame horse. Kate welcomes him and throws herself into Cady's arms. Happy to do so, Seth rehires the cowboy. Not well he goes into town to see a doctor, suffers a massive heart attack, and expires. Seth's will was drawn up by Oliver Starrett, politically motivated Starrett shows up at Seth's wake. To fund his ambitions, he seeks to marry Kate and use her wealth to win a powerful position in the state. When Cady is summoned to Virginia City, Kate figures he is gone for good this time. Oliver courts Kate; She considers marrying Starrlett until he tries to rape her. Cady inherits half of Chastity's silver mine. He sells his half and unbeknownst to Kate, has enough to purchase and interest in the S-bar-M ranch. Furious and vengeful, Starrlett sets fire to the ranch's barn. He kidnaps Kate. She fights him off and oliver high-tails it out of Texas with his mistress. Cady confesses he bacame owner of the S-bar-M ranch even before they wed.