On a train bound for Nalgitas, New Mexico, hookhouse proprietor Addie French encounters Emma Roby, a prim and proper lady seeking a new life with a man she's never met. But when they reach Nalgitas, all that awaits the bride-to-be is a "Dear Emma" note left with the stationmaster. Alone and forlorn, Emma seeks lodging at Addie's Chili Queen, a bordello she assumes is a bording house. At first, the residents enjoy the delicious irony of Emma's naïveté. And yet as the yarn unravels, it's unclear who will have the last laugh.