A self-assured young man hailing from Tennessee, Lot McGuire (played by Chad Everett), seeks to substantiate his claim of being the fastest gun in the West. As he famously declares, >“If a man is second best, he might as well be dead.” Driven by this belief, he journeys to a town with the sole aim of challenging the illustrious Marshal Dan Blaine (portrayed by Glenn Ford), whose prowess with a firearm is legendary.
Upon arriving, McGuire encounters a man fishing by the river, unaware that it is Blaine himself. They share a pleasant conversation, yet when McGuire reveals his intention to confront Blaine in a duel, the Marshal makes his identity known. Realizing he is conversing with the very man he aims to kill, McGuire decides to maintain his distance, not wanting their tentative camaraderie to blossom further.
Meanwhile, brothel owner Lisa Denton (played by Angie Dickinson), who harbors deep feelings for Blaine, envisions marriage and is willing to go to great lengths to see it fulfilled. She employs the services of a down-and-out drifter, Scarnes (brought to life by Jack Elam), tasking him with eliminating McGuire. Scarnes shares a complicated past with Blaine, having served time together for a bank robbery before Blaine transformed his life into that of a lawman.
In the ensuing days, the tension between McGuire and Blaine escalates as they engage in multiple conversations. They even join forces to handle a rowdy group of Indians, leading Blaine to realize that McGuire might not be as nefarious as he seems. Blaine suspects that McGuire is less about bloodshed and more about gaining notoriety. He earnestly tries to persuade McGuire to abandon his obsession with the duel, warning that his reluctance to shoot might invite trouble into town if perceived as a sign of weakness.
The plot thickens when Scarnes ambushes McGuire outside town, resulting in the fatal injury of McGuire's horse. In a twist of fate during the confrontation, Scarnes is severely wounded and reveals to a dying McGuire that it was Lisa who orchestrated the attack. Faced with her confession of love for Blaine, Lisa begs McGuire to leave. Stubbornly, he refuses to back down.
As the anticipated showdown approaches, Lisa takes her Derringer pistol, intent on killing McGuire, but a frustrated Blaine intervenes and confiscates the weapon. The fateful confrontation takes place not in the street, but inside a bar. McGuire, drawing his revolver in a unique manner, fires first, but Blaine's shot finds its mark in McGuire’s chest. In a tragic twist, McGuire collapses, eyes wide in shock, without a chance to utter a word.
While Blaine sustains a non-fatal wound to his side, the emotional aftermath is profound. At McGuire's funeral the next day, as his casket is lowered into the earth, Blaine discards his gun and holster into the grave—a symbolic gesture of his desire to move on. Departing from the town without his revolver, he leaves behind a heartbroken Lisa, who watches from the saloon steps, tears streaming down her face.
