A formidable and wealthy landowner, Jessica Drummond, controls Cochise County, Arizona, with an iron fist, commanding a private army of forty hired guns. Into this turbulent environment rides Griff Bonnell, a reformed gunslinger turned lawman, accompanied by his brothers, Wes and Chico Bonnell. They arrive with the mission to restore order and enforce justice. Upon their arrival, tension immediately brews between Jessica's camp and the Bonnell brothers, particularly as Griff challenges the reign of fear that she has instilled in the region.

As Griff presses forward with his mission, he learns more about Jessica's complex personality and the delicate power dynamics within her empire. Meanwhile, a mutual but restrained attraction develops between him and Jessica, adding layers of complexity to their confrontational relationship. Conflict escalates when one of Jessica's men defies her orders, leading to violence and testing Jessica's control over her forty guns. This growing confrontation threatens to uproot the tenuous balance of power, forcing both Griff and Jessica to grapple with their sense of duty, personal honor, and the boundaries between justice and vengeance.