Damnable news has reached Fort Verde. Outlaw Jessup Henry and his gang of thugs are raising hell north of Santa Fe, one homestead massacre after another. Now they're on the run in Arizona Territory, evading the law. Cavalryman Tom Skinner's command: charge south with his patrol and wipe them out. But Skinner knows the land. Military decree be damned, he's deserting the wayward route -- against orders -- for the right one. There's more at risk than his career. In Jessup's path is the vulnerable ranch of his newfound love, Veronica, and her family.