Hiram Bledsoe founded the town of Sawtooth, Wyoming, and he takes a piece of every penny that changes hands on its dusty streets. But that isn't enough for this greed-crazed madman anymore. He wants every ounce of gold out of the Sawtooth Mountains, and any miner with a rightful claim will have to either roll over--or drop dead.

John Slocum's got a problem with that. And when he sees a black-haired beauty's father shot just for standing up for what's his, Slocum takes up his gun. If it's a war Hiram Bledsoe wants, then it's war he'll get. But Bledsoe's hired army of backshooters is ready to bring the bloodshed to Slocum. And the enemy will be waiting where he least expects it...