Clayton Terrell is stunned upon receipt of the news that his cousin and fellow U.S. Marshal assigned to investigate a string of stagecoach robberies has been shot and killed for cheating in a card game. Knowing there is more to this tale, Clayton leaves New York and travels west to the sprawling mining town of Defiance, Colorado, in search of answers. In the final leg of his journey, he finds himself in a stagecoach with only one other passenger, a beautiful young woman, when it is held up by outlaws. Clayton is now faced with more unanswered questions. What had his cousin discovered that resulted in his death? Were the stagecoach robberies linked in some way? And could the passionate and headstrong beauty sharing his stage be involved somehow in the deception? Before long, Clayton finds himself the targets of an organized web of evil and deceit that has the whole town hopelessly cowering in fear. Now Clayton must fight to uncover the head of the gang running roughshod over the good folk of Defiance before he loses his life or that of the stunning courageous girl he cannot help but protect even as she continues to turn Claytons world upside down.