Legendary gunslinger and lawman Bat Masterson undertakes a quest to separate fact from fiction, traversing the country to interview eyewitnesses and uncover the true stories behind some of the most incredible tales and notorious characters of the Old West.
After leaving Dodge City, Bat Masterson takes a job as manager of the Palace Variety Theatre in Denver. There he has to wrangle an unruly cast of performers, including Emma Walter, a juggling virtuoso known as the Queen of Clubs. At first, Emma is openly skeptical of the new manager, mistaking Bat for a hot-headed gunslinger, but when Bat confronts the dangerous criminal Soapy Smith and protects the Palace without firing a shot, Emma starts to reconsider. Just as the unlikely pair begins to fall in love, Emma's juggling career is suddenly cut short by a seizure. Unable to stand the thought of being apart from Emma, Bat proposes on the spot. Life seems set for the Mastersons until Bat volunteers as a deputy on Election Day. When a gang engages in ballot tampering, and Bat is forced to draw his gun yet again, he begins to question his life as a gunslinger.
Legendary Marshal Bass Reeves proudly witnesses the joyous wedding of his son, Bennie, and his new daughter-in-law, Cassie. But Reeves' happiness quickly turns to horror when his son murders Cassie in a fit of jealous rage and goes on the run. In the ultimate test of his commitment to justice, the aging marshal accepts responsibility for bringing the murderer to justice and rides into lawless Indian Territory to hunt down his own flesh and blood. Years later, gunfighter-turned-newspaperman Bat Masterson tracks down the marshal's daughter to learn more about her famous father and the aftermath of her brother's arrest.
When Bat Masterson tries to help a stranger in distress, he suddenly finds himself staring down the barrel of a pistol. Red Pipkin, a delusional criminal, holds Bat's life in his hands. To buy some time, Bat convinces Red to share some stories from his outlaw days. Turns out, Red was part of a gang of train robbers led by the infamous Bronco Bill. Red was there when the gang was finally brought down by veteran lawmen Jeff Milton and George Scarborough in a hail of bullets. While Red is lost in the memories of his past, Bat makes his move.
After proving her courage by serving a summons to a dangerous bootlegger, courthouse clerk Ada Curnutt is sworn in as one of the first female deputy marshals in Oklahoma. When a pair of killers-turned-counterfeiters go on a crime spree, Ada and her partner, Henry Sharp, volunteer to arrest the criminals and bring them in. Since Ada's firmly held principles don't allow her to carry a gun in the line of duty, she concocts a cunning plan and manages to capture the counterfeiters without firing a shot. But on their way to jail, the criminals break free of their restraints, and Ada and Henry must face down the killers once again. Years later, gunfighter-turned-reporter Bat Masterson tracks down Ada's former boss to get the real story of the trailblazing female deputy.
Chinese immigrant Wong Fee Lee joins a convoy of miners headed to Deadwood, where he hopes to strike gold and start a business. The timid cook quickly runs afoul of the American prospectors, who resent having a foreigner in their midst. Soon Wong's only protector, the convoy's leader, is ambushed and killed by the vicious Black Hills Bandits. As the bandits continue to raid the camp, stealing goods and picking off the prospectors one by one, their hope of ever reaching Deadwood begins to dwindle. It's up to Wong to find his courage and lead his fellow prospectors in a final battle against the marauders. Years later, a U.S. Congressman tracks down gunslinger-turned-reporter Bat Masterson to share Wong's amazing story.
All across California, a bandit is terrorizing stagecoaches, robbing them of their strongboxes and leaving tantalizing poems at the scenes of his crimes. After this poet highwayman, who calls himself Black Bart, eludes authorities for years, Wells Fargo detective James Hume decides to enlist the services of private investigator Harry Morse. Together they follow the scant clues to unmask the bandit's true identity. Years later, gunfighter-turned-newspaperman Bat Masterson tracks down Hume to hear the story of how Black Bart was finally brought to justice.
When Elijah Briant is elected sheriff of Sonora, Texas, the mild-mannered druggist and former teacher tries to enforce the law without carrying a weapon. Ignoring the advice of his deputies, Briant attempts to peacefully foil a bank robbery, and he gets a bullet for his trouble. Before he can recover from his wound, he faces an even greater threat. Will Carver, one of the last surviving members of the notorious Wild Bunch gang, enlists his friend, George Kilpatrick, to raid Sonora. Assuming the kindly sheriff will pose no problem, they head to town to take all they can. When Briant learns that the two deadly outlaws are on the way, he must choose between sticking to his peaceful ways or taking up arms to defend all he holds dear. Years later, Briant's deputy tracks down gunfighter-turned-newspaperman Bat Masterson to share the story of the heroic small-town sheriff.
When the elusive bandito Tiburcio Vasquez terrorizes the citizens of early Los Angeles County, reporter George Beers asks Sheriff William Rowland for a chance to observe the hunt for the wanted outlaw. Though Beers' objective is simply to document the events, he soon comes face to face with Vasquez and is forced to take matters into his own hands. Can an untested reporter finally take down the vicious killer once and for all? A former gunfighter himself, newspaperman Bat Masterson tracks down Beers to find out how a mild-mannered reporter decided to become a man of action.
Marshal Chris Madsen helps newly appointed Judge John Burford escort a wagon of untried prisoners to the town of Beaver Creek, in the heart of Oklahoma's lawless No Man's Land. The lawman and judge aim to establish the territory's first courthouse, but the citizens of Beaver City are used to taking justice into their own hands, and they are deeply suspicious of any official law and order. Madsen and Burford set up a makeshift courtroom inside a rowdy saloon and face down a vigilante posse bent on executing the prisoners before they get their day in court. Years later, gunfighter-turned-reporter Bat Masterson catches up with Judge Burford to find out how he survived the harrowing ordeal and won over the townsfolk.
Desperate to find a new marshal after losing the last three in three months, the gold mining town of Yankee Hill, Colorado, runs a newspaper advertisement to find someone brave enough to restore law and order. Former slave and Union soldier Willie Kennard answers the ad, but skeptical town councilmen won't give him the job until he proves his worth. Without hesitation, Kennard walks across the street and arrests the town bully after gunning down two of his henchmen. Next, Kennard must stop Billy McGeorge and his gang from robbing trains and passengers of newly mined gold. Unable to recruit a single deputy to his cause, Marshal Kennard must make his stand alone. Years later, a friend and employer of Kennard implores reporter Bat Masterson to write about the trailblazing marshal before his heroic story is lost forever.
When outlaw John Wesley Hardin murders a sheriff, hard-charging Texas Ranger John Armstrong teams up with cool-headed police detective Jack Duncan to track down the killer. Armstrong wants to use brute force to squeeze Hardin's location from his family members, but Duncan convinces him to embrace a more cunning approach using methodical investigative techniques. Their teamwork eventually leads them all the way from Texas to Pensacola, Florida, where Hardin is gambling under an alias. With the help of local law enforcement, Armstrong and Duncan track Hardin to a train depot and prepare to take him dead or alive before the train pulls out of the station. Years later, Armstrong shares the story with gunslinger-turned-reporter Bat Masterson and credits Duncan with bringing the outlaw to justice once and for all.
Former convict George Contant travels to a California ranch, seeking a fresh start with his brother, John Sontag. But George is surprised to find John and the ranch owner, Chris Evans, making plans to rob the Southern Pacific Railroad. Despite his misgivings, George agrees to help his brother, but the train robbery yields a disappointing amount of loot. When U.S. marshals arrive at the ranch to arrest the gang, a desperate firefight breaks out, resulting in the death of a lawman. The gang escapes into the mountains sparking one of the largest manhunts in California history. After taking shelter behind the crumbling walls of Stone Corral, they make their final stand against a hail of gunfire. Years later, a reformed George Contant tracks down gunfighter-turned-reporter Bat Masterson to tell his side of the story.
In 1880, Bat Masterson's old friend, Ben Thompson, asks him to help save his brother from the gallows. Ben's brother, Billy, has evidently shot off a man's thumb in a gunfight and is wounded himself. While Billy claims self-defense, an overzealous sheriff is eager to see him hang. Though he is no longer a lawman, and he lacks any kind of legal authority, Bat agrees to travel to Nebraska to talk to the sheriff. When his common-sense appeal fails to impress the sheriff, Bat hatches an elaborate plan to help Billy escape, which only succeeds when Buffalo Bill shows up to lend a hand. Years later, when Bat's editor balks at printing the tale, Bat tries to explain the difficulties of dispensing justice in the Old West.
Teenaged fugitive William Bonney is given a second chance when a kindhearted ranch owner, John Tunstall, offers him a job. Within days, Tunstall becomes a close friend and something of a father figure to young Bonney. But when his new employer is killed in cold blood, Bonney reverts to his criminal ways and vows to seek vengeance. Enraged and once again alone, Bonney faces off with the men who gunned down Tunstall and the bullets begin to fly. Years later, gunfighter-turned-newspaperman Bat Masterson enters the campaign headquarters of congressional candidate Robert Widenmann, who also worked for Tunstall, to find out how a young William Bonney was transformed into the notorious Billy the Kid.