Earp recalls in court the details of the day when the Clanton gang rides into Tombstone to shoot it out with the Earps and his plans initially to head off a street battle by arresting each one of the gang separately and then the gunfight.
Earp is asked by Wells Fargo to ride shotgun to help catch the Purvis gang. Earp agrees with conditions including a posse to follow the state but a grandmother complicates the situation when she refuses to wait for a later stage.
Texan Drum Denman goes after northerner Earp by backing a free newspaper to print false stories about Earp trying to draw him out of Dodge City. His second story says Earp is having an affair with the minister's teenage daughter.
Earp is looking for information on Mike Roarke at Shanssey's Camp where he finds Doc Holliday may be able to help. Doc refuses as he has his own agenda with Roarke. Kate Holliday arrives with news of Roarke and a plan to take Doc away.
Wyatt tries to put a stop to ongoing border skirmishes between the Clanton gang and Mexican bandits. He's worried that if Old Man Clanton is killed, a bloody fight for power will erupt among his sons and subordinates.
Earp decides to ride into Tombstone alone and unarmed to see for himself how bad it is. He finds himself caught in the midst of an ongoing dispute between the miners and Clantons. Mistaken for a cowboy, he is helped by Nellie Cashman.
Earp decides to leave Tombstone but learns the Clantons are gunning for him. Nellie Cashman and Dick Gird want Earp to stay to bring law and order to Tombstone. Earp with Doc's help is forced to fight the Clantons as Earp sets a trap.
After the death of Old Man Clanton, Doc Holliday hatches a not-quite-legal scheme involving Wyatt's brothers to help him in his desire to create an internal fight among the Clantons gang members over who takes control of the gang.
Shotgun's mule Roscoe is sick and he wants Dr. McCarty to help. When he says the mule is drunk, Earp decides to call Doc Fabrique from Wichita to help but Doc thinks it is Earp who is near death. The grouchy Doc has to find a miracle cure.
Bennett hires a gunman to shoot Earp who brags he has faced down Earp before. However, Earp doesn't know him so he suspects there is more to the gunman's story. After trying to determine who the gunman is, Earp decides he must face him.