The notorious killer, John Coates kills again and seems to have left Harlon County, but no sooner does Sheriff Ben Beckett think that the man is out of his hair than a new mystery arises. Mrs. Sarah Jordon is missing! Suddenly Ben has a new disruption in his peaceful town. And apparently a new villain has arisen? Meanwhile, Sarge, Preacher, and Bronco are hot on John Coates tail, or at least think they are. The devious outlaw is never without a plan, and this is no exception. The problem for everyone trying to track him is that his plans, objectives, and solutions can change on a dime. The three ex Union soldiers find themselves in a new tangle of plots and subplots. Can they surmount the obstacles thrown before them?