Captain Elmer Tomlinson of the Texas Rangers is confronted with a unique and devastating problem: rustling of livestock is occurring in the Valverde district to an unprecedented degree. He dispatches three Rangers to work under cover in the area, but to lead them Tom wants Cleve Hampshire. Cleve is no longer a Ranger - four years earlier he had been badly injured and resigned. Since then, however, he seems to have fully recovered.

Seward City was in roughshod, chaotic Dakota Territory. The day he arrived by stage, Jud Parker looked impressive, physically a big man, dressed in the best clothing with a tall silk hat. Despite appearances, however, in his pocket he had less than one hundred dollars. Renting a dingy room for ten dollars a week seemed like a fortune to Jud. Yet there was a restlessness here that Jud had noticed imbued the entire countryside. Banker Heber Caldwell...