Eric Soper receives a sentence of death by hanging for his killing of a man in Silver City. Marshal Stone takes the prisoner back from Central City to Silver City to hang, but on the way, realizes that Soper has poor eyesight and probably could not have committed the murder. Stone enlists Detective Finch's help in proving whether Soper committed the murder and finding who id, in case Soper didn't. They are in a rush as the hanging is scheduled to take place on a new automated hanging gallows in a couple of days.