Jud Low was eighteen years old, from the East, and as green as could be when is father decided to pull up stakes and set them on the Oregon Trail. Not far from Abilene, Kansas, the two were put out of the wagon train after Jud's father got into an argument with the wagon master. The father and son headed south.

Not long after, Jud found himself alone and on foot, his father having frozen to death during a cold winter night. He made his way south and stumbled onto a small cattle ranch, finding himself a job and a great friendship. When his new friend is murdered and robbed, Jud finds himself forced to become a man sooner than he'd expected to.