In 1878 Colorado, a time when gold and silver mining boomtowns were proliferating, the mysterious disappearances of gold miners in the Silverton area is reported to the Federal authorities in Denver. Deputy U.S. marshal JR Marcus is dispatched to investigate the assertion. En route to his destination, he finds himself embroiled in a series of adventures including the capture of a gang of bank robbers, the rescue of stranded travelers whose horses have been rustled and assisting a fellow lawman in Durango nab a crooked gambler.

As Marcus experiences these adventures, readers are treated to backstory glimpses of his past. Flashbacks reveal his experiences as a teenaged Confederate cavalryman during the Civil War where he participated in historically accurate battles; his later work as a cattle ranch foreman and trail herd boss during the era of the great cattle drives from Texas to Kansas; and, his service as a Texas Ranger working with historical figures in helping to eliminate the dual menaces to Texas citizens posed by raiding Comanches and Mexican bandits. These formative experiences shape his character and inform his determination to pursue justice.

Upon reaching Silverton, Marcus adopts the guise of a gold miner, exposes a robbery and murder conspiracy and arrests the culprits.

Join deputy U.S. marshal JR Marcus in this exciting tale of the untamed, post-Civil War American west filled with historical detail.