After the final battle of the Civil War, Confederate Sergeant Travis Kane rode his Yankee horse away from Palmito Ranch to return to his ranch in Uvalde County. As he began the two-hundred-and-fifty-mile ride across West Texas, Travis was grateful for surviving the long, bloody war without being wounded. But now that the fighting was over, his biggest concern was for his young wife because he hadn’t received a letter from Lillian in almost two years.

Fifteen-year-old Reuben Cole is about to learn about the viciousness of the lawless West. After he comes to the aid of a fleeing Native American pursued by a murderous gang, Reuben accidentally kills one of them and puts his own life in danger. A whirlwind of danger ensues as Reuben is pursued by a band of ruthless killers.

When they crossed Reuben Cole, they signed their death warrant. Reuben Cole is not the sort of man they should have messed with, and breaking into his home proves a bad idea. After his friend, Sheriff Roose, hunts down the robbers who took everything of value, the reasons for the burglary are revealed and a crooked railroad magnate's ambitions exposed. Cole's enemies are about to learn that the ways of the Old West, despite it being a new century, are not quite over yet.

Orphaned at fourteen, Hector “Heck” Martin heads west, determined to see the far country and make a man of himself. Along the way, he falls in love with bold and beautiful Hope Mullen. But Heck is too young and poor to marry, so he heads west again. During a three-year journey, Heck crosses thousands of miles, becomes a bareknuckle boxer, a mountain man, and an Indian fighter, and meets the likes of Kit Carson and Jim Bridger as he explores the gorgeous and deadly frontier.

Fifteen-year-old Joe Beck wasn’t listening as the minister eulogized his uncle but was already planning on what he would have to do as soon as they returned to the Quimby farm. He wasn’t welcome there even before his uncle had died and knew that his cousin John would soon order him to leave. While he had had a basic idea of where he would go after he left the farm, he didn’t know what he would do with the rest of his life.