Joe Kettle possessed the grit and fighting blood of his father, and his father before him. And he needed it, for Wilshaw Broome - once a loyal foreman of the Standing K ranch - was using hired gunmen in his effort to seize the Kettle domain. Supported by an ageing Hector Chaf and Ben McGovren, Joe sets out to win back his birthright. But each of the three men had his own special reason for going up against overwhelming opposition, and it wasn't all to do with property and livestock. To overcome Broome's force, they would play a waiting game, take advantage of the hidden trails and scrub thickets along the Rio Bonito. Then, when the time was right, they would not hesitate to meet force with force and guns with guns.