In The Tarantula's Web, the Lone Ranger rides into a tense situation marked by a series of cattle rustling incidents that have left ranchers on edge. The episode opens with the masked hero and his faithful companion Tonto learning about the chaos caused by a group of hooded riders who have been raiding local ranches. Rancher Hank Greenway, who has recently acquired the Pot-Hook ranch, is particularly vocal about his belief that a notorious criminal known as the Tarantula is orchestrating these attacks. He suspects that the symbol of a spider's web left at the crime scenes is a taunt from the elusive outlaw.