In the introductory story, ‘Gunstorm Ghost,’ Dan Barrister is the son of a famous gunfighter known as Fanner Barrister. Fanner was better and more feared than Dan, but he was killed and now Dan is intent on eluding the same fate and wants to hang up his guns. Lon Preebe, the big rancher for whom Fanner had worked, makes Dan an offer: join him or face his gunslingers. Dan dares to refuse Preebe’s offer, knowing it will mean at least one more showdown.

‘Outlaws of the Brasada,’ set in the brasada region of Texas, follows the story of Emery Bandine, a brushpopper who had returned from the Civil War to recover from an injury. Conditions were harsh and he could barely feed his family. He started to gather a stake by rounding up unbranded cattle in the brush country, but couldn’t afford to pay for medical care for his young wife who died giving birth to their third child, who never took a breath. Bandine was left with two young children and vowed they would never know such poverty. With Reconstruction imposed by the Union occupational forces, making a living, much less a fortune, seems impossible, especially since Major Nadell declares Bandine’s cattle are to be confiscated for the commissary of the occupying troops. Bandine refuses to give up his cattle and is faced with the task of fighting the occupation while trying to protect his children.