Matt and his friends try to come to the aid of a has-been actor caught cheating at cards. Former Shakespearean actor Edward Vanderman (John Abbott), which is now down-on-his-luck, is cheating in a card game. Instead of running him out of town, Matt take a shine to the out of work actor and tries to get him a job cleaning dishes. But that last all of one day as he steals money from the place and is back at the Long Branch quoting lines from plays.
This time Matt has to place Edward in jail right beside a dangerous killer named Brad Tyler (Stanley Clements). Brad is set for trial but believes his brother will bust him out before court. Marshal Dillon and Chester will have deal with two problems and possible a third if Brad's brother makes an appearance.