Great Bend, Kan., has had five different sheriffs in its brief history, and they've all been murdered. Which doesn't make good odds for the next man to take the job -- Sheriff John Henry Hoyle. A graduate of Harvard University -- as he is quick to point out to just about everybody he meets -- he does his best to bring the little-known science of forensics to the Wild West. Townsfolk are unimpressed with the new sheriff's credentials and ideas --it's his skill with a six-gun that makes the populace sit up and take notice. Hoyle and his reluctant deputy, Eli, pursue the criminals who have been plaguing the town; all the while, Hoyle tries to impress saloon/brothel owner Honey Shaw, who's tough as nails and tougher to impress.