It's 1876 at Scalp Mountain and Colum McNeal is fleeing gunmen sent by his Irish-immigrant father. Colum pioneers a Texas ranch, a home which means everything to him, but struggles to stay there: Jose Ortero, a Jacarilla Apache, seeks revenge for the son Colum unwittingly killed. At the same time, an old acquaintance, Mason Lohman, obsessively stalks Colum through the border country, planning to take his life. Colum has inspired the unthinkable in Lohman. In a time and place where a man's sexuality must stand unchallenged, Colum has ignited Lohman's desire. Other characters include Texas Ranger William Henry, who takes Colum's part against his father while wrestling with his own demons. Henry's family was murdered by Comanches and he regrets the revenge he took; and Clementine Weaver, who defies frontier prejudice by adopting an Indian baby, must choose between Colum and her husband. Scalp Mountain is based on the Southern Plains' Indian Wars. Those wars were morally complex, and the novel attempts to reflect those profound, tragic and murderous complications. Everyone was right, everyone was wrong, everyone got hurt."