Having put an end to the blazing career of the killer Duke Greg, Red Ryder has returned with Little Beaver to Painted Valley, only to learn that in his absence the nearby town of Devil's Hole has turned into a roaring river of frontier lawlessness centering around Ace Hanlon's Silver Dollar Cafe. When news reaches Red that Eli Kendall, the editor and publisher of Devil's Hole Clarion, is readying a campaign to arouse public ire against Hanlon, Red, knowing Ace's evil and vicious ways, saddles Thunder, and a moment later is churning up dust as the horse's hooves pound the rutted trail to Devil's Hole...