An historical novel about a search for rustled cattle and a recounting of earlier Civil War intrigues. John Macpherson, a Civil War naval veteran and Shakespearean actor, braves the American Frontier in quest of adventure and the need to secure his newly acquired land east of El Paso, Texas, hard by the Rio Grande. While Macpherson is building his nascent cattle company, thieves make off with his stock. To retrieve his cattle herd, he is joined by his seafaring brother, James Macpherson, and finds romance and shared memories with the beautiful Maria Hidalgo. Biblical truths are revealed along the journey.