The Oregon Territory village of Brookside sees further violence as the lone constable fights to keep law and order in the second novel in the continuing series of life during Oregon's wild frontier period.

The year is 1848. The pace is Brookside, Oregon Territory. The great migration from east to west is just getting underway following favorable comments on Oregon weather, farming, and ranching land in the eastern press. There are those in the Brookside Valley who are dead set against the immigrants. There are those who favor the movement. And there are those who take advantage of the newcomers. Worst of all, good people die.

The Brookside constable's office is a one-man affair, and Constable Kennedy is alone as the population explodes, crime explodes, and he is denied the ability to hire deputies. Some of his time is taken up by the delightful Widow Creighton.

The one man standing in the way of Constable Kennedy getting help is beaten, robbed, and killed, and Kennedy is blamed. It's a big question whether he will survive this attack on his reputation.