America in the late 1800s was a place where a young man with drive and intelligence could rise above class to attain power and wealth. Even someone born near the bottom of society’s social ladder could climb past those born higher on the ladder to achieve greatness. Armed only with his intelligence, aggressive personality, and fists, the bastard son of a whore grows up in a town dominated by cotton mills to find his place in America’s westward looking Manifest Destiny.