Paladin finds his friend Charlie Blackburn dead in his San Francisco hotel room (or "davenport"). When he takes Charlie's body back to his hometown of Alimo for burial, he discovers that neither he nor the deceased is welcome.
The investigation reveals that Charlie owned a valuable redwood stand, but his land was landlocked with no access route. Paladin had given him legal advice, but Charlie tried another approach to resolve the access issue, which ultimately led to his death. The murderer is identified as Keith Loring, a psychopathic killer who is protected by his wealthy timber baron father, Wynn Loring. Paladin recognizes Keith's mental illness and discusses the possibility of legally committing him. The conflict culminates in a fist fight between Paladin and Wynn Loring.