On the eve of the Civil War, Kirby Jensen is the youngest of three children living on a hardscrabble ranch in Southwestern Missouri. But in 1861 shots were fired in Charleston harbor, and Kirby's father and brother went to war. Back at home, waves of violence crash over Kirby and his family, until the boy quickly becomes the man called "Smoke", riding with Brigg's Marauders, coming up against violent killers like Frank and Jesse James, and proving his own skill with a gun. For Kirby, the end of the war will bring no peace. His family is shattered by murder and destruction. And his father comes back from battle ravenous for revenge.