When a young man with big dreams suddenly becomes an orphan, he is faced with big decisions. Holding to the dream of living in the Rocky Mountains that Tatum shared with his father, he begins his journey—a journey that takes him through the lands of the Osage and Kiowa and ultimately to the land of the Comanche. A solitary man by nature, he travels by night and sees a different land than the many pilgrims and settlers of the 1840's. Although driven by a desire to be away from people and their scheming ways, he is repeatedly drawn into the lives and problems of others. Although the ways of the woods are not new to him, he was a novice in his dealings with people, but his upbringing made him interject himself into the problems of others. The passing wagon train had more than its share of conflicts, but when Tatum spotted an impending attack by Comanche his conscience demanded he warn them. Then when that involvement includes a smallpox plague and a defenseless tribe of Comanche, Tatum is faced with a decision to try to free the captive white women or warn the warring Comanche. His journey to the mountains has become a journey to jeopardy.