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.

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.