As the golden spike is driven in and the transcontinental railroad is officially finished, Sam Storm finds himself jobless - and attracted to a high-society beauty named Catherine. Thus Sam sets out to launch a daring business scheme involving firewater, stolen horses, and a dangerous journey that will make him rich enough to impress Catherine's doting father.

When he returns to Salt Lake, however, Sam finds that wooing the lovely Catherine may be more difficult than just impressing her father. Nor can he forget the ravaged Shoshone village he passed through on his journey and the horrific scene he saw there. And when strange events begin to fit together to reveal a sinister plot, Sam must once again set off on an adventure - this time to discover the truth, and eventually to save the woman he loves.