Colorado Springs, a booming town in a new state, has come a long way. It boasts a school, a post office, and even a library. But rustling is stripping local ranchers of their livelihoods. The town council has brought Ford McKinnon, a sheriff with a reputation of a fast gun and a cool hand, to put an end to it.

Ford McKinnon has never belonged - not to a place, not to a woman, not even to himself, only to the job.

Cady Armstrong, on the contrary, belongs to Colorado Springs. Owner and editor of the Colorado Springs Gazette, she reports the news, writes the editorials, and prints the paper. The daughter of the town's former sheriff, Cady has a special interest in watching how the new sheriff handles himself, and she isn't impressed.

Ford and Cady have nothing in common, except a desire for the truth. But what they discover might divide them forever.