Latigo Smith (James Garner) barely escapes marital bliss with Goldie, to find himself in a situation with out money but a golden opportunity. The town he as escaped to (Purgatory) has rival mining companies digging for the motherload. Latigo teams up with Jug May (Jack Elam) who poses as Swifty Morgan, hired gun. Latigo is his agent and handles all the money.
The fun in this movie is the interaction of the characters much more than the story. One thing that struck me as funny is the scene where Col. Ames is stretching over in his stiff boots to see if Taylor Barton (Harry Morgan) is hiding under his sister's bead. Another is when Jug sees Latigo asking a woman for money, he says that he was brought up not to ask women for money. Latigo suggest that is because a woman raised him.
Who will get the load and who will get the shaft? Will the real Swifty show up? What about Goldie?