Young game warden Tom Rainse had two prized possessions; a pinto pony, and Smoky, the dog with a bloodhound's "nose for trouble." When the pinto was stolen, Tom put Smoky on the trail, only to find that it led them straight into a baffling wilderness mystery.

Who was the rustler, and what lay behind the theft? Buck Brunt, Tom's fellow game warden, thought in was poaching. Tom himself was sure that it was something bigger. But Smoky's nose was what finally found the answer.