Edward Dugan left his home in Boston with a bequest from his father--mining certificates giving him ownership of the Christabel mine. Although they have a face value of 250,000 dollars, the mine has been declared worthless. However, Henry Christian, the man who originally sold the mining stock to Dugan's father, has offered to buy back the stock certificates for 1,500 dollars. Since he has no money, Dugan decides to walk the 3,000 miles to Potts Valley in the Southwest to check out the offer. On the way, he picks up the nickname Slope. Red, who has grown up fast in the West, is a witness to a terrific fistfight between a tough cop working for the Southern Pacific Railroad and Slope Dugan. After Slope wins the fight, Red befriends Dugan, who appears to be a half-wit. Slope tells Red about his offer from Henry Christian--a man Red knows as Bonanza Chris and who seems to be able to talk the money out of anyone's pocket. Red also knows that the only reason Bonanza Chris would have to buy the mine back would be that he had discovered the mine was far from worthless and Red isn't about to let the half-witted Slope negotiate with Bonanza Chris alone. Not even Red can imagine just how far Bonanza Chris will go.