An aristocratic Englishwoman, Lady Cornelia Locke, arrives into the new and wild landscape of the American West to wreak revenge on the man she sees as responsible for the death of her son.
Eli Whipp, a retired Pawnee scout out to claim his birthright, meets Cornelia Locke, an Englishwoman hell-bent on revenge. With their paths fated to cross, they decide to travel north together.
In the Powder River region of Wyoming, cattle baron and English gentleman Thomas Trafford, despite being the first European to enter the region, is struggling to maintain his empire against the homesteader 'invasion'. He is alerted to a huge and mysterious loss: the horrific slaughter of all his pregnant cattle, for which he holds the homesteaders responsible.Meanwhile, on their journey north, Eli and Cornelia encounter a victim of Captain Clegg's bushwhackers and a baby who Eli delivers from its dead mother.
In Powder River, Wyoming, Sheriff Marshall is investigating the mysterious murder/suicide of an ex-cavalry soldier and his homesteader wife. Meanwhile, Eli waits for Cornelia's return on the Clarkes' farm, but discovers a more sinister side to their business.
Fifteen years earlier, on Wyoming's Chalk River in 1875, Thomas Trafford arrives to establish his cattle ranch, along with his accountant and aide, David Melmont. But events take a sour turn when Melmont becomes involved in a horrific crime, which ultimately has an immense impact on the lives of both Eli and Cornelia.
As Eli aims to make penance for his actions 15 years ago, Trafford desperately tries to feed his herd with an immense hayrick, Marshall continues to deal with the fallout of Flynn's death and a fresh attack on Trafford's cattle, and Cornelia has a run-in with the businesswoman Black-Eyed Mog.
As Eli and Cornelia reach Powder River, a violent attack on his hayrick forces Trafford to make a difficult decision, and Marshall discovers the truth behind the branding. When Melmont finally returns to Wyoming, the stage is set for a violent confrontation.
