Set in Texas in the years following the American civil war, the action takes place in a small town called Luck and it's surrounding environs, specifically the Broken Arrow Ranch owned by former Texas Ranger Captain Hank Tomlinson. When the post-war reconstruction government of Texas disbanded the Texas Rangers for political reasons — they wanted to rid the South of anything that had been around before the war — Hank decided to turn his hand to ranching. In those days most of Texas was still considered "open range", and the government was only just beginning to parcel up the land and sell it to those willing and able to work it.
In Hank's case that means establishing corrals for his horses and fencing in swathes of the range as pasture for his herds. His almost adult son Jay Blue works on the ranch just like any of the hired hands, and is proud to consider himself one of them. In some ways he's almost too proud, of himself and his abilities, and that ends up causing him all sorts of trouble. Trouble which also happens to find his closest friend, Skeeter, Hank's adopted son, and eventually, damn near engulfs the whole ranch and the town of Luck.
It all starts with the disappearance of Hank's prized Kentucky thoroughbred mare, who was whisked away out of her pen one night as if by magic. It had been Jay Blue's turn to stand watch that night, but he'd convinced Skeeter to cover his shift so he could go into town and romance Jane who works in Flora's Saloon. It was only when both boys woke in the morning to the sound of Hank going off like a Howitzer that they knew they were in trouble. Deciding it was safer to take on what ever the wild world had to offer instead of an irate ex Texas Ranger, the boys set off in hunt of the missing mare.
While there's dangers a plenty out on the range as it is, when a ghost from Hank's past shows up bodies start being found. Feathered with arrows and scalped, all the signs read like a party of renegade Comanche are operating in the area. However, Hank recognizes the arrows that feather one of the first bodies that's found and realizes that not only is somebody trying to throw the blame onto an innocent group of Comanche hunting in the vicinity, but are out for his blood and the blood of any close to his heart - especially his son.
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