In 1879, Taw Black, away at college in Georgia, receives word that his family's ranch in the New Mexico Territory has been raided by outlaws-and that his father has been killed. When Taw learns that his adopted brother may have been involved, he starts for home to clear his brother's name and avenge the death of his father. With no money to fund his journey, Taw must plod through the dangerous post-Civil War landscape, using any means to survive. Taw's grief transforms into hate, even as he is befriended by a riverboat gambler, a Mexican outlaw, and a band of renegade Indians. When he finally arrives home, he uncovers a master plot instigated by a gang of killers intent on not getting caught. As he takes retribution on the men responsible for his father's death, he fears that his actions are causing him to lose part of his own soul-something that becomes more daunting when he meets a special woman who could change his life forever.