Daniel Henderson is a LAPD cop who is looking for a new start after the death of his wife. He and his son Atticus move to Manhattan, AZ, a small desert town, where he takes the job of sheriff. But the town and job are different than he was led to believe by the town's mayor Jake Manhattan. Atticus wants to go back to LA, but Daniel decides to stay and is soon caught up in the town's mystery.
Several elderly residents have been crushed to death by the Saguaro cactus. Jake claims they have ""killer cactus"" and uses this to draw media attention to the town. Daniel discovers that all the deaths are related to a confernce where the elderly were told they could find eternal youth at the roots of the cactus. Since the cactus has very shallow roots they are tipping over and killing the people as they are trying to dig them up.
Daniel gives a speeding ticket to a man that claims to be a Native American. He claims that he was ticketed because Daniel is prejudice which results in a conflict between the Indians and the residents of Manhattan. Daniel finds out that no one in the tribe is more than one-sixteenth Indian and discovers that the Indians are just trying to get the town to attack them so they can get government funding to repair their casinos.
Jake hires his nephew Clyde to be the new deputy but realizes he has made a mistake because Clyde can't do anything right. Jake decides to let Clyde go, but he tells Clyde that it is all Daniel's idea. Daniel takes pity on Clyde and tries to build his confidence by coming up with a plan where Clyde will rescue him from a dangerous biker.
The biggest weekend in Manhattan is the annual cattle drive from Mexico to America. Jake offends the visitors by accidentally knocking out the teeth of the Mexican Mayor's wife and almost killing their sacred cow. When the cow later disappears Daniel realizes the Mexicans are smuggling herion into the US inside the cow's stomachs.
A strange lady shows up claiming to be Jake's daughter, but Jake doesn't believe her. He has Daniel investigate the lady and by the time Daniel can prove that she is not Jake's daughter, Jake has become very close to her so he decides to date her.
The town is attacked by bees that leave people unconcious once they are stung. An expert is called in, but he is stung before he can give any information on the bees. Daniel tracks down the first person that was stung trying to gather clues about the bees. Jake puts on a one-man act celebrating the life of Colin Powell and encourages reluctant residents to attend the play. Right as the play is beginning the bees attack and the residents have to rush into the playhouse to take cover, but then they have to suffer through the play.
A woman named Dr. Charles buys the mayor's zoo but she wants to turn it into a hunting reserve. This puts Jake's orangutan friend Bobo in danger of being shot. Jake goes to great lengths to rescue Bobo.