Cal Gibson rode horses with his father as a boy. Now, fifty years later and a lone rural relic, his lifestyle continues in the countryside of Missouri as well as in its neighboring states, the South, and West, despite the impersonal advances of technology. He is a cowboy.Southwest Missouri¿s oak forests, native prairies, grass-covered hills, and cattle operations second only to Texas, are Cal¿s home. Here as a young man, he gains the devotion of a lovely woman, but is forced to walk away. He makes do, however painfully, throughout his remaining years. Yet, here, too, Cal has held tight to friends that last and stand with him when the going gets tough. Cal and his six lifelong companions provide a final burst of heartfelt determination and courage that unknowingly fosters revolution in a land written off as soft, spoiled, and doomed by greed.Cal¿s violent but heroic end spells out how this brave cowboy near sixty contributes more to his small community, his state, and his country during a cold December and January, than anyone could dare hope in a string of lifetimes.This intense but uplifting story tells of the heartland and its real people, their loves, tragedies, and spirit in terrible times. Cal Gibson grows to be a lone rock of decency and hope holding on in midstream as a fearful river rises. He provides the steady hand his community needs to cope with a calamity that today is all too possible.Impressed by the independence of American farmers and ranchers, the author has chronicled measured doses of their wisdom and grit in his writing. Although leaving rural Missouri repeatedly, his love of the land and family have always drawn him back and added a keener edge to his storytelling.