While passing through a frontier town on his way to San Francisco, ex-Union soldier James Evans is called out to a gunfight by ex-Confederate Major, Will Dunlap. The call to fight sparks a flashback in James' memory of the day he was drafted into the Union Army. James recalls his stoic grandfather, Richard, teaching him how to shoot as well as the lesson of morality that comes with the responsibility of taking another person's life. As Dunlap taunts the boy further, Marshal Jack Doven decides to intervene in the conflict happening across town. An old friend of Will's, he approaches with little caution. Realizing that Will has no intention of relenting, Jack proceeds to arrest him. This escalates to gunfire which leaves Jack wounded and dying in the street. With townspeople in a panic, including the Marshal's wife, James is forced to take action and face the life he hoped to leave behind. He ultimately makes the choice to meet Dunlap in the street. James quickly draws first and kills Will Dunlap.
—Anonymous