Plot

To avenge the death of his twin brother Fergus, savvy plainsman Festus Haggen forms an initially uneasy alliance with Matt to track down his murderous uncle "Black Jack" Haggen.

This episode marks the first appearance of Festus Haggen as a character in Gunsmoke. Festus meets Matt Dillon, who is on the prairie hunting down a known murderer, "Black Jack" Haggen, who is Festus' uncle. Festus is also hunting for his uncle because he feels Black Jack's callous actions had directly caused the death of Festus' twin brother, Fergus. Black Jack is traveling with April, a pretty young woman, who is in his thrall because he treats her kindly -- something few men have ever done. Festus and Marshal Dillon form a wary alliance although they are each hunting Black Jack for different reasons. They succeed in capturing Black Jack; however, Dillon is shot and must lay up for awhile at a farmhouse after shackling Black Jack to a wagon's wheel out in the yard. Black Jack tries to play to Festus' strong sense of family loyalty, to wheedle Festus into agreeing to help him escape from the situation; however, Festus' strong sense of morality and justice causes him to bluntly reject his uncle's unsubtle overtures. Black Jack turns his pleas to April, who surreptitiously unshackles him from the wagon wheel. When Festus turns away from him, Black Jack knocks him out and is about to escape when he is gunned down by Dillon, who merges from the house in the nick of time. Upon their return to Dodge City, Festus expresses sympathy and compassion for the pretty young April, as he realizes that she had come from poor circumstances and had been taken in and used by his wily, rascally uncle. The ending scene hints that a romantic relationship is budding between Festus and April, as he escorts her to Ma Smalley's boarding house.