A gripping western novel in the tradition of Zane Grey and Louis L'Amour. Sam Reynolds loved the predictable rhythms of ranch life. Each job had its purpose and place, making way for another job with its purpose and place; a family legacy passed down. He'd spent his whole life on the ranch, and new its worth ran far deeper than grass and cattle, but when circumstances beyond his control threaten to destroy that legacy, Sam is forced to make some hard choices. Easy-going, fun-loving Bobby, Sam's younger brother who hides a dark secret; beautiful Rebecca, Bobby's restless and flirtatious wife; timid and shy Lillian Baker, the daughter of a hard up neighbor; and Braxton Haynes, a suspicious bitter malcontent - all play a role in tearing down Sam's world, leading him through a baptism of gunfire, blood and sacrifice. Sam emerges to find that what he was really fighting for was something else entirely.