Sheriff Rufus Stone has good cause for keeping a vigilant eye on the town's comings and goings, meting out brutal, uncompromising treatment to drunks and drifters. So when Will Jarrow happens upon Blue Wells, Stone nails him as the usual, itinerant cowboy. But the young stranger is a lot more than that and his provoking behaviour is soon a burr under the wary sheriff's saddle. For two years, Will has lived with dark thoughts about the fateful night that changed his life and grappled with his need for retribution. How much longer can Will Jarrow pretend to be something he's not? And how much longer will it be before Rufus Stone realizes who he really is?