After having served his country for twelve years, four of which included duty during those turbulent years of the Civil War, William "Pap" Paprich has decided to retire from the restraints of military life. With no plans other than to travel the United States wherever the wind takes him, he decides to visit the one man he can honestly say he owes his life to, a half-breed Indian scout named Yanni Two Feathers.
Pap finds his friend embroiled in a struggle with local ruffians who dislike the fact that he served the Union rather than their beloved Confederacy. Just as things come to a boil, Pap gets a telegram from his sister begging for help. The family's ranch and others surrounding it have been plagued with murders and rustled cattle by men who seemingly vanish into thin air. The local law enforcement is either unwilling or unable to bring justice to the lawlessness.
Plans are altered, and together William and Yanni make their way to Lawrence, Kansas, where skills once learned during the War Between the States will have to be called forth for the family's survival.