When drifter Terry Carlton encounters the little town of Verdure in Arizona, he's only seeking some hospitality and shelter for the night, before moving on. But what he learns from his hosts, old man Marchland and his daughter Hilda, piques his curiosity. Their home, like all the others in town, is boarded up at night; the entire community is living in fear of four ghostly horsemen, who ride only at night. Refusing to share the terrified townsfolk's fear of the supernatural, Terry trails the mystery riders, but they seem to vanish into thin air in Star Canyon. Then Hilda receives unwelcome overtures from the corrupt Sheriff and, worse yet, her father is abruptly murdered. Can Carlton solve the mystery of Verdure's sudden deteriorization, and save the town from destruction? A classic western novel based upon Matthew Japp's stirring story outline.