In the midst of the Great Depression, the townsfolk of Port Eddy are looking forward to the annual diversion: a horseshoe tournament against nearby Petroleum City. When a ringer, a hotshot outsider illegally brought in to help the City win the contest, is murdered, Constable Stan Garrett, the recently appointed village cop, is surprised that he might be involved in something more than jaywalking. However, when the uncle of his new lady friend, Susan Shaw, is suddenly arrested by the City police, Garrett reluctantly assumes the role of investigator â€" this in spite of the strong objections of the Cityâ€(TM)s chief detective, Bull Derbyshire. But Garrett uses his ingenuity and persistence in an effort to find the killer and keep Uncle Wilbur from the noose.