When Steve Ware came home to Verde County, proud of his new rank as a Ranger, Verde greybeards refused to treat him as anything but the cowboy who had worked on their outfits. As a Ranger, Ware couldn't fight back against their insults as he could have if he were still a cowboy; he could only wait for a chance to prove himself. The chance came unexpectedly soon, when Fyeback, the storekeeper, was mysteriously murdered. At the same time, Black Alec Pryde's highline gang was raiding, and Steve wondered if the murder and Black Alec's blows were connected. The trail was "tangled as a spiderweb," leading Ware and his fellow Ranger, "Bar Nothing Red" Ames, far from Verde County. It was a trail to make brave men hesitate, but Ware followed it ...