The Calvary and Redell of the telegraph company are trying to convince Vittoro and the Apaches that the telegraph is beneficial to everyone. Half breed renegade Delgado and his small band disrupt the demonstration by cutting the wire further down the line and killing two telegraph company employees. Hondo comes across the two dead employees and is jumped by Delgado's band. He is chased and wounded but Delgado spares his life when he finds out Hondo was married to Vittoro's daughter. Hondo manages to get to an isolated cabin where he is healed by Doc Stanton, a wanted but innocent man. Hondo promises not to reveal Doc's presence. Upon returning to the fort he recommends they take a small force of select men and go up into the hills after Delgado's band, putting them on the defensive. Hondo, Buffalo Baker, the Captain, Redell and three cavalrymen encounter Delgado's band. The Captain is seriously wounded and Hondo has to break his word to Doc Stanton in order to save the Captain'

Crusading newspaper reported Jack Graham is wrongly convinced that the Apache Kid is being unjustly persecuted by the U.S. Army. When they capture him he writes a story claiming Hondo is a Judas and promises the Kid that his newspaper will hire the best lawyers possible to get him off. The Apache Kid escapes, killing a guard, and kidnaps Star Bird from Vittoro's camp after killing her father. Hondo is sent to track him down. He comes across young Emmy Jo, whose father was murdered by the Kid, and takes her back to the fort. He finds out that Graham has gone out after the Kid to show him the telegram from his newspaper guaranteeing their help. Graham finds Star Bird, who has been physically abused by the Kid, bound against some rocks. Just then Hondo arrives and the Kid grabs Graham and threatens to kill him. Hondo fights with and captures the Kid. Back at the fort Graham tells Hondo he's written a story praising him for his actions, repayment for saving his life. Hondo decks h

Hondo receives a letter to meet in the ghost town of New Caanan signed with a Q. While on his way three cowboys recognize him and trail him waiting their chance to take him, thinking the reward for him is still good. When he arrives in New Caanan he is greeted by his former confederate commanding officer Colonel William Quantrill, who he thought was dead. Soon Jesse and Frank James arrive accompanied by Cole and Jim Younger and Charley and Bob Ford. The last of old army unit, Johnny Reno, rides in and Quantrill announces he has assembled them for two reasons. The first is two rob a $200,000 U.S. Army payroll shipment and the second is to find out who the Judas is that shot him in the back and left him for dead. Hondo decides he doesn't want any part of it and while riding out stops to water his horse where he is ambushed by the three cowboys but saved by Quantrill, who followed him. Quantrill later forces the Judas' hand in a saloon showdown. The results, however, force them t