Mason Hawke's fingers are skilled instruments. Trained as a concert pianist, Hawke saw his ambitions of becoming a wealthy soloist die after returning from the war. And while his soul may have been destroyed by the horrors he witnessed and even committed, his fingers remained as nimble and agile as ever - by practicing on his Colt six-shooter. Joshua Creed, a wealthy cattle baron, and his sadistic son Lonnie have laid claim to the open range and with gun and bullwhip they to brutally enforce their decree that they alone rule the territory. Leaving a trail of blood, tears and gun smoke, they drive off the many sheep ranchers who have used the land for generations. Hawke gets word of the injustice from an old love and heads off to Idaho to protect the last people he ever knew as family. He's in for the fight of his life, but it isn't the first time and he's not one for backing down.

Haunted by the past and desperate to find a place to start over, Mason Hawke seeks refuge in tiny Salcedo, Texas, but he soon discovers that he has landed in the middle of a frontier town civil war in which no one can stay neutral. Original.