The end to Maxwell Beck's exile is in sight, but it could spell the beginning of even more trouble. Max's year-long absence from Deadwood reaches a crescendo when a pair of ne'er-do-wells first try to end Max's life, then impart some earth-shattering news: He must reach Deadwood before the Fourth of July celebration or his beloved Patience will die. It's not an impossible goal, but it will take everything he and his trusty steed, Huan, have in them to get there in time. As they race for home, Max is intercepted at the outskirts of a small town by a posse. Is this brush with the law a chance encounter? Max's worst fears are confirmed when he is tossed in jail and threatened with hanging. Max's uncle, the sheriff of Deadwood, is headed to town with a posse to stop the hanging, but he'll most likely arrive too late. What happens during the ensuing battle will haunt Maxwell for the rest of his life, and push him even farther West to face greater danger than he's ever dreamed of."