Joel McAllister is a lieutenant in the Confederate Army -- or at least he was, until Lee surrendered. Now he's determined to get as far away from war as possible, somewhere beyond North and South (and maybe somewhere with some gold): Idaho Territory. Accompanied by his steadfast sergeant, Riley, the two former soldiers travel westward from Texas. But the trail to Silver City is littered with peril -- including a band of merciless Comanche warriors. When two women survivors of a Comanche raid and a Bannock Indian join their party, Joel will need all his soldier's instincts to get everyone to Silver City alive -- and keep them that way.