Senator Ranse Stoddard and his wife Hallie arrive in the frontier town of Shinbone to attend the funeral of Tom Doniphon. The local newspaper editor asks Ranse why he travelled so far, from Washington, D.C., to attend this particular funeral. The question triggers a flashback of 25 years, when Ranse first arrived in Shinbone. The town then was being terrorized by Liberty Valance, an evil gunslinger. Valance picks a fight with Ranse and beats him up. Ranse begins practicing with a a gun determined to have a showdown with Valance. While in a saloon, Valance is told Ranse is waiting for him outside. Ranse does not know that Tom is hiding by the side of the adjoining building. As shots are exchanged, Valance is hit and falls to the ground. But it was Tom who killed Valance and not Ranse. As Ranse and Hallie return to Washington, Ranse thanks the conductor for his help. The conductor replies, “Nothing’s too good for the man who shot Liberty Valance.”