When Dr. Eliot Bouldeen runs into mountain man Big Badd Bartley in the Arizona desert, it has already been an eventful day. The young woman whose life he has just saved lies unconscious on the sand, and Eliot can still hear the gunshots ringing in his ears. Before he and Badd have had time for more than a friendly chat, trouble approaches on a new front. As they ward off an Indian attack together, the bonds of friendship are sealed. With one more crisis averted, the trio head for Candle Creek. They make a most unusual team: the surgeon, the trapper, and the beautiful Irishwoman who is wanted for murder. Kathleen Fender has been set up, of that Eliot is sure. But no one in town is willing to defend her, and most would rather see her killed before the trial even starts. Eliot and Badd must resort to desperate measures to keep Kathleen safe; the odds are overwhelmingly against them. And then someone from Eliot’s past appears with information that could set Kathleen free. Can enemies become allies in the name of justice?