No Name on the Bullet

Gant arrives in the frontier town of Lordsburg, and the locals tremble at his reputation. The sheriff would arrest him, but Gant insists he only acts in self-defense. Luke Canfield, a young doctor, greets him and begins to show him around town.

Luke demonstrates his dexterity with a blacksmith’s maul, impressing Gant and earning his cautious respect. They tour the town, and Luke introduces Gant to Anne Benson and her ailing father, a former judge. That evening, Asa, Luke's father, joins them for dinner while the town's mood grows uneasy.

During dinner, the sheriff interrupts and warns Luke to stay away from Gant. The town's fear of the gunman grows as Gant remains quiet and inscrutable.

In the town saloon, mine owners Earl Stricker and Thad Pierce confront Gant, fearing he is there to kill their partner Ben Chaffee for control of the mine. Chaffee grows suspicious of the arrangement and thinks someone is setting him up.

Luke confronts Gant about his profession, but Gant explains that some men deserve to die. A gunshot rings out when Pierce, panicking at Gant's presence, shoots himself in his office, leaving Luke to question Gant's influence over the tragedy.

The sheriff attempts to arrest Gant at gunpoint, but Gant shoots him in the hand and declares he wasn’t paid to kill him. The act further unsettles the town and muddles the line between law and vengeance.

Lou Fraden and his wife Roseanne suspect her ex-husband sent Gant to kill them. Fraden confronts Gant in the street, but Gant calmly challenges him to draw, and Fraden bolts. Luke then urges Gant to leave town to avoid further trouble.

Stricker rouses the townsmen to challenge Gant, and although Luke disapproves, he agrees to lead them to minimize violence. The threat of a large-scale clash hangs over the town as the mob gathers.

The next day, Gant approaches Anne about her home life, yet continues to withhold who hired him. Judge Benson warns that a hunted man who refuses to defend himself could be legally culpable for murder.

Chaffee shoots Stricker in a shootout, prompting the sheriff to strip Chaffee of his badge. The town’s formal law is eroding, overshadowed by Gant’s unsettling presence and power.

Anne finds a letter in her father’s desk revealing a past crime. She goes to Gant’s hotel room with a derringer, but he bluffingly disarms her and then rips off her bodice. He pays his hotel bill and announces his intention to leave town.

Gant rides to the judge's home and announces that some of your associates from back East send their regards. The old man admits his past guilt and says he will let nature take its course, but Gant now implies the judge’s misdeeds by displaying a piece of Anne's torn clothing.

Luke and Asa arrive and, seeing the tense confrontation, misinterpret the scene as though Gant has killed the judge. The air of suspicion thickens as alliances blur and loyalties shift.

The judge coughs and fires a wild shot before collapsing on the porch steps, prompting Luke and Asa to rush outside. Luke attempts to intervene, but Gant shoots Luke in the shoulder as Luke throws a hammer that strikes Gant’s gun arm, wounding both men.

With both his arm injured and the town’s law in disarray, Gant mounts his horse and rides away from Lordsburg. His departure marks the end of his uneasy stay and the town’s tenuous struggle with violence and justice.