When two brothers find the Dead Man's Gun on a skeleton, one of them develops a fascination with it and soon is forced to kill the local shootist in a duel.

After this, he takes up with a gold-digging harlot, who, along with her shifty friend, urge the young man to continue on his dangerous path, despite the warnings of his older brother to give up his new way of life, and the Dead Man's Gun, before it's too late. The older brother, Will, wants to leave town, but can't leave his brother, so he gets himself a job at the general store, where he falls in love with the owner's daughter. Outlaws come gunning for his younger brother one after another, and all meet the same fate, until he finally kills a gentleman who is interested in his girlfriend. The gentleman's brothers come to town for revenge, but, since his younger brother is wounded, Will protects him by taking his chances with the Dead Man's Gun.