An ailing rancher in Frio Springs is banking on Sam Ketchum to drive his cattle to the rich markets in Nebraska. Sure, there's no one more reliable. But ghosts from his last drive still haunt Sam, and the road north has only become tougher. Comanches and cattle thieves lie hidden in the brush, poised to ambush, and notorious gunslingers lurk in every town along the way.

And to make matters worse, the Wagner brothers have picked a fight with Sam, sparking a deadly Texas feud that he will have to settle before the trail finally ends.