Bill comes to Mojave to meet an old sourdough friend, Furnace Valley Scotty, who owns a ghost town called Akali. He finds that the town is now the base of an borax-hauling operation owned by Mike Gorin, a former rustler, who claims he bought the town from Scotty.; Bill is serving as temporary sheriff at Sundown. Meanwhile, rancher Gil Carson has an unwelcome guest in outlaw Slip Gavin. Carson was part of a bank robbery with Gavin ten years ago, but has gone straight since. Gavin threatens to expose him unless Carson allows him and his gang to stay at his ranch. While at the ranch, Gavin comes up with a scheme to fleece the local ranchers by pretending to be boss of a survey crew for a new railroad.