Cole Campbell rides into trouble and an unlikely refuge with four orphaned sisters on their New Mexico ranch. Haunted by nightmares from the Civil War, he finds, then loses love, defending them and himself from an unscrupulous regional boss driven by greed. Rachel is the tough older sister, Bonnie the beauty who has his heart, and the irrepressible teenage twins Susie and Sarah become his little sisters. Cole's difficulties begin when Spencer Judson, owner of half the territory, learns he may have a map to hidden silver deposits. Judson wants the map, wants Rachel, wants the ranch and is determined to get them, stooping to unspeakable violence in his quest. Cole is hunted, becomes the hunter, determined to protect his adopted family. Blanche Porteau, the outrageous saloonkeeper, becomes an unlikely ally, as does Tom McCaskill, a discouraged older veteran, in a surprise ending.
