In the cattle country of Northwest Texas in the late nineteenth century, a man had to be smart and tough. Sam Chance was both. Mustering out of the Confederate army as a sergeant, Chance was possessed of steady nerves and a good business head. Like so many rugged men of his day, he headed west in 1865, determined to make good and to turn his dreams into reality. When he achieves near-legendary status and makes his fortune, Chance is forced to pay the steep price that the frontier exacts in exchange for such success.