As Sheriff of Sangaree County, Texas, it is part of Flagg's job to keep the drunks orderly and prevent the cattle drovers from shooting up the town of Academy. His estranged father, Gunner Flagg was a thief, a bandit, a highwayman and a killer. He had swindled gullible settlers from Sonor to Kansas. In fact, there wasn't much in the book of outlawry that Gunner hadn't tried. Gunner shows up in town with two gunmen, Amos knows it is only time before the trouble begins. Amos tells his father to get out of town but he knew that Gunner would not budge - as surely as he knew the day would probably come when he would have to gun down his own father!