The Civil War is over, but not for thirteen-year-old Skeeter Tates. It's 1867, and the memory of his beloved father, killed by Yankees four years earlier, lives deep inside him. After clashing one time too many with his new stepfather, and a Yankee at that, Skeeter and his best friend, Ben, run away for Texas. Hungry and scared, the two friends are startled by April, a teenager herself, threatening to shoot unless Ben drops the chickens he's stealing from her. A trip to the sheriff is next, unless… The adventures are just beginning.

April befriends the boys and joins them in their escape. Soon the three must deal with outlaws, stolen bank money, and a posse hot on their trail.