- At the behest of the railroad, the Seven are forcibly relieved of their duties by a federal marshal, leaving their future-and that of the town-uncertain.
- The railroad bureaucrats demand that a marshal take over law enforcement of Four Corners. His regulations drive most of the Seven out of town, but don't do any good when the local ranchers hire thug to burn the town down so they can get the railroad rights.—Gislef
- Judge Oren Travis visits Four Corners again, with grandson Travis, and the notice that the railroad got the territorial authorities to order him to entrust law enforcement not to Chris's team but a federal marshal. After the seven leave, all hell breaks loose when villain ranchers Guy Royal and Stuart James team up their gangs, turning the place into a ghost town, again out for the lucrative railroad land contracts. The seven must ride to the rescue.—KGF Vissers
- In Four Corners, a gang rides into town. Vin and Buck have taken up sniper positions on the rooftop, and Chris steps out on the street and confronts the gang. J.D., Josiah, and Ezra ride up and join Chris, and Nathan steps out. Chris makes sure Vin and Buck are in position, and the Seven on horseback draw their guns. Billy comes out to watch, and Mary quickly pulls him back inside.
The leader of the gang goes for his gun, and Chris outdraws and kills him. The other Seven open fire, taking down the gang, Josiah grabs one man and throws him into a porch support, One man gets under Vin and pins him down, and J.D. gets off his horse and tackles a gang member off his horse. Nathan corners one gang member, and when the gang members draws his knife, Nathan pins his sleeves with his throwing knives to a nearby wagon.
Vin knocks down a platform at the man shooting at him, and gets close enough to punch him unconscious. Ezra corners one man, and takes down a rider closing on him with his holdout derringer. Buck jumps off a roof and tackles a man as he tries to flee, and punches another gang member unconscious as he comes out with Miss Nelly as a hostage.
The Seven capture the surviving gang members, and a wounded Army Sergeant comes out and yells at the gang members for killing his driver, leaving him to die, and stealing his artillery wagon. He offers the Seven $5 to get his wagon back, and Vin accepts.
The townspeople come out from hiding and complain about the destruction. Mary and Billy come out, and Billy runs to Chris. Chris makes sure the boy is all right, and Billy runs over to his grandfather Oren as the judge comes into town on a stagecoach. Mary comes over and greets her father-in-law, and says that they weren't expecting. Oren tells her that he has a trial to run in a couple of hours.
Oren wonders what happened, and Vin tells him that it's all been taken care of. Federal Marshal Walter Bryce gets out of the stagecoach and tells the Seven that he doesn't allow firearms within city limits, and asks for their guns. Oren introduces Bryce and tells the Seven that Bryce is the new law in town.
Buck says that they're not going to give up their gun without a fight. Nathan warns that without the Seven, Bryce has no backup, and Josiah agrees. Bryce knows about all of them and their arrangement with Oren, and says that he's a reasonable man and will give them 24 hours to comply. After that, they check their gun, leave town, or go to jail.
Once Bryce leaves, Oren says that the railroad companies are going to lay through Four Corners, and they've been pressuring Washington to appoint a marshal to keep things safe. Oren hasn't been able to convince Washington otherwise, and the companies want someone official. Oren points out that Bryce has a solid reputation, and the railroads are pulling the strings now.
Oren tells them that they're relieved of their duties and goes to spend time with grandson. When J.D. wonders if they're going to take it, first Chris and then the others walk off. Mary goes after Chris, who has gone to the stable. She assures Chris that most of the townspeople want the Seven there. Chris figures that he's been there long enough, and tells Mary that he has some unfinished business to take care of. As Mary goes, Chris asks her to say goodbye to Billy for him.
At the saloon, Nathan tells J.D. that he's staying because he's all the town has in the way of a doctor. Buck tells J.D. that they couldn't drag him out of town, but he only plans to go "head to head" with Nelly, who he's been "working on" for three months. The others are there, and Ezra says that he's close to owning the saloon. He figures that with no guns in town, there is no way for disgruntled losers to seek reprisals. Vin points out that there are tar and feathers, and Ezra just chuckles.
Vin figures that Bryce will eventually find out that he's wanted, and he'll clear his name once he tracks down the artillery wagon. J.D. offers to go with him, and Ezra points out that Vin didn't invite J.D. to go with him. Bryce puts up a poster of things banned, including no loitering and no gambling after the curfew. Once Bryce leaves, J.D. reads the posting.
Bryce puts up more posters banning spitting and open liquor bottles, and the shopkeeper who lost his porch in the earlier fight is glad to be rid of the Seven. He figures they don't need gunslingers since they've moved into the "modern age".
Casey comes over to J.D. nearby and comments on his poor "performance" during the shootout earlier. J.D. tells her that he's not in the mood, and Casey confirms that the Seven are breaking up. He says that they're only doing something different for a while, and figures that he's heading off to Texas to join the Rangers. Casey asks if he wants to stay, and says that there's plenty of stuff he can do like get a job. When J.D. laughs, Casey punches him in the side, says that no one cares if he stays or goes, and walks off.
At his ranch, Stuart James is shooting at a woman, Juanita, holding up a bottle for James to shoot. Guy Royal rides in with his new hire Earl, and Earl tells James that he won't be able to get his cattle to market if the homesteaders move in as the town is encouraging. Guy introduces Earl, and says that the settlers are coming into Four Corners and it's time for the ranchers start working together. Once the railroads come through, the ranchers might have some power. James points out that he and Guy have both gone up against the Seven, and Guy tells them that the Seven are leaving Four Corners.
Bryce takes down Nathan's sign. When Nathan comes out and admits that he's not a doctor, Bryce implies that Nathan is a "snake oil salesman". Nathan takes offense, and Bryce says that he's practicing medicine without a license and he won't allow it.
Buck and Nelly leave the saloon together, Nelly drunk. Buck tries to lead her to a haystack, and assures Nelly that he would never take advantage of her. He goes to a nearby alley to urinate, and Bryce finds him and tells him that he's under arrest. When Buck tries to laugh it up, Bryce handcuffs him and says that Buck is under arrest for public indecency.
Josiah is heading out of town. J.D. finds him, and Josiah says that he was just passing through. The ex-priest figures that there won't be any job for him. Nathan comes up with his horse, and tells J.D. that the Indians at the reservation might appreciate him more since he's not wanted in Four Corners.
Vin prepares to ride out after the wagon, and tells Chris that he's found tracks leading toward Purgatory. Chris offers to go with him, and Ezra and the others join them. Bryce goes by hauling Buck off to jail, and Chris figures that Buck will land on his feet. Ezra, Nathan and Josiah ride off separately. J.D. says that he's going to stick around and wait for Buck.
Bryce comes and tells J.D. that the 24 hours he gave him to turn in his gun are done. Earl watches as J.D. hands over his gun, and Bryce congratulates J.D. and leaves.
Lster, J.D. goes to the newspaper office. He tells Mary that Buck has to stay in jail two more days, and Mary asks if he'd be interested in working for him. He wonders why, and Billy blurts out that Casey asked. Casey is watching from hiding nearby, and ducks back as J.D. spots her. J.D. tells Mary that he'll give her offer some thought, and as he walks off Mary tells Billy that Casey's request was supposed to be a secret.
Mary hits her thumb with a hammer making repairs, and Bruce comes over and offers his help. He goes to work with Billy's help, and Mary asks Bryce if he'd consent to an interview about his plans for the town. Mary says that some people are concerned that his methods might not work there, and Bryce suggests that they talk over dinner. As Mary agrees, Billy asks his mother when Chris is coming back.
In Purgatory, Chris is sitting on a porch watching the cantina across the street. A prostitute, Maria, makes eye contact with him. Chris goes up to her room, and he gets her name and tells her that he wants her to do something that might be dangerous. Maris is amused, and Chris tells her that he used to spend a lot of time six months ago at a cantina when he killed Cletus Fowler. He says that he wants to know about the man who hired Fowler to kill his wife and son. Once Maria collects her payment from Chris, she says that she'll ask around. As he goes, Maria asks if there's anything else she can do for him.
Guy and Earl have dinner with James, and guy notes that fires occur all the time, and if Four Corners burns down then it'll just be a cattle trail again. He says that Earl will handle that Earl will handle the arson and their names are never mentioned, so the Army can't in it on them. When James objects to killing men and children, Earl says that they'll herd them all out of town before setting any fires. He says that it will cost a lot of money to hire guns to burn down Four Corners, and boasts of how he's burned a town off the map before.
Vin catches up to the wagon and takes out the sleeping man on guard, waking him after he's taken the bullets from his gun. The man runs off and Vin chases after him.
Mary meets with Bryce at the saloon and tells him that his methods are very thorough. He says that he knows all about Mary and her husband, and offers his condolences. Bryce says that motherhood is the most important thing a woman can do, and says that it's a shame that she has to do a man's work. When Mary says that she enjoys working as an editor, Bryce patronizingly says that it's good for her to keep her hands busy until she remarries.
Bryce suggests that Mary join the Temperance League, and laughs when he says one of them was in favor of women's vote. Mary is offended by what he says is a "woman's Priority, takes a drink direct from a bottle, and glares at Bryce. Bryce quickly leaves.
Guy and James hire 25 men, and they gather at the James' ranch
Buck is released from jail, finds J.D. and says that they're leaving town. J.D. agrees and says that he'll go once he gives Mary notices. Once he goes, Nelly finds Buck and kisses him, says that she's foolish for saving herself. She drags Buck to the ground, and Bryce finds them and tosses Buck back in jail. J.D. peers in through the window and sees Buck, and goes to his horse. Mary finds him and tries to convince him to stay, and he tells her that he's a gunslinger and is heading for Texas.
Once J.D. leaves, Earl and his men ride into town. Mary sees them and goes to warn Bryce. Bryce grabs his rifle, and Buck offers to help. The marshal refuses, and Mary watches as Bryce goes out on the street and confronts the hired guns. He orders them to hand over their guns.
Mary looks through Bryce's desk, and tells Buck that the cell door keys aren't there and Bryce must have them.
Earl tells Bryce that they'll just give him the bullets rather than the guns, and shoots him down Bryce shoots back and kills one hired gun. Earl then yells that people have 24 hours to get out of town before they burn it down. The hired guns go on a rampage, and Mary walks through the chaos to the jail where the hired guns dumped Bryce in a cell. She tells Buck that the hired guns have cut the telegraph wires, and Bryce tells Mary to leave.
Mary refuses, and says that Billy is with Potter and has already left. Buck confirms that Chris is in Purgatory, and she makes it clear she's going there on her own to get Chris.
Maria finds Chris and tells him that no one knows anything about Fowler's employer. She gives Chris his money back, and Chris kisses her before she leaves. Mary rides into Purgatory as the men on the street harass her, and Chris orders them away and asks Mary why she's there. She asks Chris to come back to Four Corners because all hell has broken loose.
Bryce admits to Buck that Mary was right. Buck admires Bryce's courage, and J.D. whispers in the window to Buck. Buck tells him to get the others, but J.D. says that he can handle it on his own and goes.
Chris and Mary find Vin and tell him that there's trouble in town. Mary stays with the wagon, and Chris and Vin ride to the reservation. Nathan is pulling out a man's tooth, and Chris tells him that there's trouble in town. He directs them to Josiah, who is meditating on a nearby hill and asking God for a sign. The three men ride up and Josiah says that he's not amused by God's sign.
The four men ride to the nearest gambling hall to find Ezra. A family of men are chasing him out of town, and he tells the others that he was looking for them and they really need to leave. Ezra has tar on his face, and admits that he made the mistake of gambling with an entire clan.
Mary goes to the wagon train that Potter left town, with Billy. The five men ride up and get the guns from the wagon. In town, Earl repeats his warning. J.D., posing as a hired gun, knocks out Earl's lieutenant and takes his gun. Two more thugs find him, and J.D. tells them to surrender or he'll shoot them dead. Before they can shoot J.D., Chris and Vin knock them out from behind. J.D. thanks them and goes with them as they go to free Buck.
The three men arrive at the jail, and Chris stands guards while Vin and J.D. free Buck. Bryce has died of his wounds. The four men ride off to meet the other three outside of town with the artillery wagon. There are no guns in it: just old uniforms, a cannon, and one cannonball. Chris tells the others to put on the uniforms, and get the gathered townspeople into them, too.
Mary puts a uniform on Billy and gives him a kiss. J.D. helps Casey and affectionately gives her a hat that fits.
Later, Ezra rides through town wearing a sombrero and poncho to disguise himself, and yells that the Army is coming. Earl figures that they'd better burn Four Corners down before fleeing. As the thugs set the town on fire, the other members of the Seven ride over the hill, wearing the Union uniforms from the wagon. The meet with Ezra outside of town and ride in together.
A hired thug on the church standing guard spots the Seven and the townspeople coming, and yells that the Army is coming in. Many of the thugs ride off despite Earl cursing them, saying that they didn't sign on to fight the Army. Earl tells the thugs remaining that they can win the fight and draws his gun. More thugs flee, and the Seven ride forward. Earl realizes who they are, and the two sides open fire on each other.
The men on both side take cover, and Buck and Nathan turn the towed cannon around, while Casey and Nelly grab buckets and use water from a trough to put out the fires. The two men fire into the cannon where the hired guns have taken cover, and Vin kills Earl when he tries to kill Chris, having barely survived the blast.
The townspeople put the town back together, and thank the Seven for being there. Nelly tells Buck that her father decided to move back to Kansas, and says that she's going to miss him. They kiss and a disgusted Nathan, who was helping Buck haul lumber, walks off in disgust.
Oren questions the hired guns, who only say that Earl hired them. Chris figures who hired Earl, but Oren warns him that opinions aren't convictions. Oren tells the Seven that Washington isn't sending another marshal, and that he told the railroad that he hired the Seven, and the town needs them a little longer. Ezra suggests a bonus, and Oren gives them a $1 a day plus board and room. Chris suggests that they go over to saloon and ponder Oren's offer, and the others agree.
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