With their temporary log-and-sod ranch house now complete, John and the rest of the Cuchara Valley homesteaders set their sights on obtaining a herd of sturdy cattle to get their ranch off on the right foot.

     The ensuing journey to a cattle town gets complicated right from the get-go when, on the day before they plan to head out, the bank in La Veta is robbed and three of the local citizens are killed in the process.

     Things then get personal after they discover that one of the bad guys is Willie ‘One-Eye’ Sloan, who gave Andy and some of the others a hard time about six months back.

     Along the way, the travelers are joined by a posse from Las Animas who have reasons of their own for wanting to catch up to and bring the band of outlaws to justice.

     With an ever increasing trail of death and destruction leading the way, the murdering gang of robbers will stop at nothing to get away, while their pursuers remain steadfast to their task.