Against a stark backdrop of territorial Arizona, a veteran fleeing his past tries to outrun his destiny. Caught between nightmares of past battles and visions of the future, Royal Healey is hired as the marshal of a small town. His new life provides Royal with happiness he can't quite accept. When the town is afflicted by tragic events, Royal pursues a truth so dark and sinister it threatens to destroy him. Sparse but lyrical in style, this is a classic tale of opposing forces. Individual choices collide with fate, past, future and present commingle, chaos evolves into darker order. Themes of divisiveness and connectedness, fratricide and patricide, and unnatural love give this small novel a vast and compelling scope.