A story set in the late times of the "old west." A boy commits a heinous crime, is caught, tried and convicted of rape and murder and is sentenced to life in prison rather than hanging. An escape is arranged by his father and he successfully escapes and runs to the north of Yuma in the Arizona Territory. The chase is on with Ralph Forney and Ross Hendershot, two close friends, leading the attempts to capture the young man. That is only natural since Ralph's daughter was the victim of the crime. Hired guns, shoot outs and the descriptions of the characters and their lives as well as Arizona of the 1890's make this a fast paced read that is rapid fire in nature.