Matt Dillon, Newly O'Brien, and Festus Haggen are spending the night away from Dodge City in a hotel. In the wee hours of the morning, a bunch of drovers are in town in a celebratory mood. Between the rowdy drovers and Festus's incessant snoring, Matt and Newly cannot sleep. Matt has to go to Hayes, anyway, and he decides to leave early.
Festus is awakened by the commotion in the streets. He decides to go to the saloon and have a beer. Along the way, he runs into an old friend named Jesse Dillard. Jesse is the much beloved cook for the drovers. Festus was a drover at some point in the past where Jesse was the cook.
Festus and Jesse spend some time reminiscing about old times while Newly listens. As the three men are sitting around a table, a U. S. Marshal walks in, points a gun at Jesse and places him under arrest. Jesse had broken out of prison some time earlier. He had killed a man who cheated him out of wages and flogged him because he is a black man. He was given an incredibly harsh sentence of ten years at hard labor for the crime.
As Marshal Halstead, Festus, and Newly escort Jesse back to prison, they are met on the trail by two of the drovers named Murphy and Link. They order the Marshal to release Jesse, but the Marshal refuses. When Murphy draws his pistol, it accidentally discharges and hits Marshal Halstead in the gut. Murphy and Link flee the scene. Newly tries to tend to Halstead, but the bullet is still inside the man. They set out for the nearest town in the hopes of finding a doctor.
Dave Carpenter, who is the cattleman for whom the drovers work, is devoted to Jesse and wants to see his release. Marshal Halstead eventually dies from the gunshot wound. Festus and Newly are charged with seeing that Jesse is returned to custody. The situation creates a moral conflict for Festus, as he is torn between his friendship with Jesse and his duties as a deputy.
Gunsmoke episodes feature so many outstanding casts that it is easy to take it for granted. This is yet another stellar guest lineup.
Brock Peters returns for his second and final appearance in a Gunsmoke episode. He is excellent as the Jesse Dillard character. Peters had previously appeared in Season 14's "The Good Samaritans."
Actor Don Stroud is a familiar face in television and films beginning in the late 1960s well into the 2000s. Stroud had a small part in Quentin Tarantino's 2012 film Django Unchained. Stroud plays the part of Pete Murphy in this story. This is his first Gunsmoke role. He returns for one more episode in Season 20.
Robert Pine appears for the fourth and final time. He plays the part of the drover named Link. Regis Cordic portrays Marshal Halstead in one of his five series roles, which were all either law enforcement officers or reverends.
Familiar actor Leonard Stone plays the weaselly hotel clerk Abel Glass in this story. He appeared in a total of five Gunsmoke episodes. Perennial tough guy Jim Davis plays the determined rancher Dave Carpenter. This is one of his eleven different Gunsmoke appearances.
Several other Gunsmoke actors with some series history appear in small roles, including Ted Gehring, Norman Bartold, and Larry Finley. Lloyd Nelson and Pete Kellett, who had a combined 140-plus appearance in Gunsmoke episodes, both can be seen in this installment.
The premise for this story is interesting enough. The way Festus accepts the responsibility of his position demonstrates the evolution of the character over the years. Longtime fans of the series will remember when Matt (and the viewers) first met Festus, he was not exactly trusting of law enforcement, and he was not above breaking the law when it suited his needs. By this time, he is fully committed to his duties as a Deputy U. S. Marshal and all the responsibilities that come with the job.
The only problem with this episode is it loses momentum about halfway through once the standoff between Carpenter and his men and Festus and Newly begins. However, it makes a nice recovery with a surprise ending, which is not that much of a surprise for anyone paying close attention.