Kilkenny wasn't looking for trouble when he entered the Clifton House stage station, but trouble found him when a reckless youngster named Tetlow challenged him, drew his gun, and paid for it with his life. Looking to escape a reputation that he never wanted, Kilkenny settles in the lonely mountain country of Utah, planning to ranch a high, lush valley. But the past is on his trail. Jared Tetlow is a powerful rancher determined to run his vast herd on the limited grasslands there--whether he has to buy out the local ranchers, run them out, or kill them. He'll cut down anyone who stands in his way, especially a man he already despises: the gunman named Kilkenny--the man who killed his son.