Ned returns to his hometown and discovers a lawless family intimidating the citizens. The Borgers boys abandon their father, but the old man finds a new ally to take on Ned and the Pettits.
Ned and Crecencio get help from the hereafter when Big Emma and Gen. Pelo Blanco, Ned's Mexican foe, team up to finish them off.
Ned arrests the notorious Smink brothers after they harass One Horse, unaware that he's their real target.
Oscar Wilde visits Plum Creek and invites the Wren to travel to Europe with him, forcing Ned to be earnest about his feelings for her.
Ned's at the end of his rope after trying to lift the veil of secrecy surrounding a prisoner slated for hanging by men claiming to be Texas Rangers.