Young Ben Logan, his family lost in the Civil War, sells his Texas ranch and heads west. At Fort Union in the New Mexico Territory, he meets a young widow and while traveling to Santa Fe, a strong mutual interest develops. But she returns to her Tennessee family, leaving Ben wondering if he will ever see her again. In search of copper, Ben scales Mount Baldy in Moreno Valley and finds a Ponderosa pine with the word DISCOVERY freshly carved in its bark and streambed sediment piled beside a nearby creek. Gold, he guesses, but a winter blast forces him off the mountain. Come spring, Ben and two partners return and strike gold, as did many others. E'Town springs up in the valley, thousands crowding its dusty streets and makeshift saloons. When vigilantes make a secret hit list, Ben cashes in and buys valley land from Lucien Maxwell, a wealthy rancher who owns everything in sight, yet tolerates the miners and ranchers. But when he sells out to European investors, they demand eviction of the squatters. Many refuse to leave and when their primary advocate is brutally murdered, the Colfax County War erupts. Ben's ranch is targeted, a fact he shares with Frank Springer and Clay Allison. They discover a group of territorial officials, called the Santa Fe Ring, is behind the scheme. Ben knows neither he nor his ranch is safe as long as the powerful Ring exists. Should he risk all in a fight to expose them or abandon the valley ranch he loves?