A courtly, but fast-drawing Colonel comes to Howling Creek after serving in the Confederate Army. He finds a cow-town bride trying to live down her past as a honky-tonk entertainer and comes to her aid.
Tale of a boy genius and his mother, the latter an ambitious, greedy, ruthless woman, and of the trials they are put through before retribution evens the score.
The basic conflict between North and South is explored through the relationship between a young Union soldier, the girl he finds in a deserted Southern house, and a harsh Yankee sergeant.