Caine witnesses a murder perpetrated by a vigilante group identifying themselves as members of OWL, Order of Wisdom and Law, and dressed in hoods like the Ku Klux Klan. Their victim, Sam Wallace (Paul Harper, who previously appeared in the first two episodes), was branded a womanizer because he frequented a house of ill repute run by Ida Quinlan (Anne Francis), leaving all 160 acres of property to Ida and her four girls. Kyle Thurmond (Barry Atwater), leading politician and secret head of OWL, covets the land for himself because of its abundant water, seeking to undermine Ida's legal right of ownership. By nightfall, the OWLs lay siege to Ida's place, threatening to burn it down if they don't give up the will. One prostitute, Cinnamon Sun Yen (Clare Nono), has no respect for the Shaolins because she was sold into her present life so as to pay her cousin's way to China to join the priesthood. Clare Nono would go from prostitute to princess in a later episode, "The Thief of Chendo." Villainous Barry Atwater was best known for the role of Janos Skorzeny, the silent snarling vampire in the original TV movie of "The Night Stalker" (1971); here, he's still a night stalker, using the threat of votes to keep the local sheriff from interfering, joined by henchman Ken Swofford, later to appear in the episode "This Valley of Terror".
