A traveling troupe of entertainers arrives in Cactus Creek, Arizona, to put on a show. The act's stars are singer Lily Martin and her niece Julie and the flamboyant actor Tracy Holland, while a frustrated Eddie Timmons handles the lighting, sound effects and other duties, even though his ambition is to perform on stage. Eddie's in love with Julie.
The bandit Rimrock Thomas turns up with his gang to rob the bank. Rimrock gets an idea while watching Lily Martin perform. He will coincide the robbery with the next show. Rimrock's presence disturbs Eddie and ends up disrupting the performance. When an explosion is heard from the direction of the bank, the audience flees. So do the entertainers, who don't want to give the customers a refund.
Rimrock hides in Eddie's wagon. He decides to keep using the show as a front, teaching Eddie how to become a successful outlaw. Eddie gets caught by a sheriff, but Rimrock has taken a shine to the young man and breaks him out of jail. When he's cornered, Rimrock arranges it so that it appears Eddie is the one who captured him. Eddie collects a $26,000 reward and vows to go straight, but Rimrock expects to see him again very soon.
