It is 1867, and twenty-three-year-old Shade McDonald is ready for a change. After spending the last few years serving in the Civil War, Shade has his sights set on marrying a good woman, settling on the family farm in Kentucky, and raising a family. Unfortunately, the only companions he has right now are a revolver, a rifle, and a strawberry roan named Rex. As he trudges along a hot, dusty road in southeastern Texas headed toward his future, Shade has no idea that trouble is not finished with him yet.

Happily reunited with his family on a Texas ranch, Shade busies himself with learning the business of working and raising cattle. Yet within the dark recesses of his mind, something is casting a shadow on all that is good, and it is as ominous as a squall line. As a threat lurks in the distance, Shade must learn to rely on his past experiences to prepare for the uncertain road that lies ahead.

Shade must leave all he loves to right a wrong. As he goes on a dangerous mission to find two culprits driven by evil intentions, he must summon the courage he learned on the battlefield to save not only his family, but also his own life.