In the north Texas oil-boom town of Kiowa Falls, civilization is just beginning to overtake frontier chaos. Ru-Marie, the daughter of the town's mayor, is a well-read, young romantic and budding artist. Her tastes in love--her parents insist--are less refined. As they throw off the sham of sophistication, a family war erupts and, with it, frontier justice. Set in the 1920s, this novel utilizes several means in order to recount the intriguing events, including first-person accounts, letters, an interview, and murder trial excerpts.