Valor and devotion ride side by side with intrigue and bitter rivalry. Wagon master Whip Holt is desired by two women--his wife, and Cathy van Ayl Blake, who is married to the supreme commander of the American forces in the Oregon Territory.

Gold fever swept the country from coast to coast, luring more than a hundred thousand seekers to the untamed territory of California. For them, the Gold Rush of 1848 represented the American Dream come true. But for the settlers who lived there, it was an all-out assault on the homes they'd struggled so hard to build. In Sacramento Valley, former Texas Ranger Rick Miller struggles to keep the peace with nothing more than a six shooter and guts.