When the U.S. government opened the Cherokee Strip to settlers of Oklahoma, the O'Dares lost their original claim, but stayed to build a thriving cattle spread through the shrewd, ruthless manipulations of Cord, the eldest. He was the acknowledged head of the house, a magnetic power who molded the lives of others with a bland show of benevolence masking his scorn for the weaklings he had created.

Smoke, the youngest, sought to break this deadly grip at all costs. When the shocking murder of a farmer climaxed growing whispers of cattle disappearance, he played a wild hand, knowing it could mean death or imprisonment for Luther, the brother he loved; sorrow for his mother; and the title of Judas for himself. A staunch believer in Luther’s innocence, he pursued the loose ends of his case to its evil source. Thus did the O'Dares win their liberty - with the women they loved.

Justice, My Brother is a study in family loyalties, heightened by the paradox of a man surrendering one brother to the law that he may save him from another. It is the subtle probing of forces which drive a man outside the ways of security that makes this one of the most appealing psychological tales to emerge from the late frontier period.