An election for the new mayor is about to take place in Prescott, Arizona. The applause at the rallies suggests that there is no hope for Dunn, who defended the law in the city for twenty years, and that the vast majority of votes will go to the great communicator Philip Cole. While waiting for the big day, Ken Parker makes a more than affectionate friendship with Lola, a German-born saloon singer, at the center of a long story of love, hate and gunshots.
In Arizona's Dragoon Mountains, a military patrol is pursuing Apache rebels from the Chiricahua tribe. Guides them Tah-sa, an Apache Arapaiva, tribes at war with each other. Dashiell “Dash” Fox, a former scout at Fort Smith, an old friend of Ken Parker and once again enlisted in the army, unsuccessfully attempts mediation with Chato, Chiricahua chief. But when all of his people are herded for a train transfer, Chato manages to escape.
