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.