The Guardian of the Gulch takes place in Helena, Montana in 1864. Gold had just been discovered in a Gulch off the Prickly Pear valley by the ""Four Georgians"" The Guardian of the Gulch tells about two wandering cowboys: Kick A. Burks and Muley Gentry. Kicks is a tough but jovial cowpoke. Muley is more serious in nature because he was orphaned as a baby, when his parents were killed by an unscrupulous gambler. Fortunately, he was taken in and raised by John and Mary Hicks. After they buried little Muley's parents, they took the baby with them on their migration to North Dakota, where John Hicks' brother had a large ranch. The two cowboys meet in a saloon where Muley starts a fight with Kicks by laughing at the cowboy's name. After the fight, they have drinks together and soon form a bond. Muley has been traveling around the countryside since the death of his adoptive parents seeking to find out about his past. Kicks hails from West Texas and is wealthy by anyone's standards. The two sidekicks team up and set out to find out about Muley's heritage. During their quest, they meet a cast of characters, some friendly, some not so friendly.