When rancher John Hallager is shot to death by an unknown killer, young Billy Mathis is picked up and jailed on suspicion of the murder. Billy has been seeing Hallager's daughter against the old man's will, and the whole town knows there was bad blood between them. Lucas believes in Billy's innocence, but with no other suspects, it appears that the boy will be convicted, until a traveling showmanÑa flamboyant ex-actorÑarrives in town claiming he has the ability to read minds and turns up an unexpected clue.