Carrianne is determined to find her husband who left three years ago to hunt gold in California. She’s broke and debtors are dunning her for her dead father’s gambling expenses. She decides to go in search of her husband to make sure he's all right and unexpectedly finds him in Denver. Cord McLeod is hiding from a previous employer in San Francisco, Shiv Deegan, who wants him dead because Cord discovered evidence of Deegan's thievery and murders. Cord doesn't have the evidence, but a U.S. Marshal and San Francisco's governor believe him and are helping him try to prove his claims against Deegan. Cord never wrote to Carrianne to make sure Deegan didn't learn of her existence and take out his revenge on her. She isn't ready yet to forgive Cord, but because she does want to help him, they travel to San Francisco, where she puts her life on the line, alongside him, to seek proof of Shiv Deegan's guilt. Will they succeed? Or will Shiv Deegan make good on his threat and take Cord from her before they can reclaim the love they have only just rediscovered.