Between the wars, the captain purchases huge Spanish land grants in South Texas and builds the largest cattle ranch in American history. The story is packed with shocks and surprises as he must battle rustlers, Comanche raiders and Mexican border gangs in order to survive, and drive huge herds of cattle to the rail heads in Kansas and Missouri. His tumultuous lifestyle ruptures romances, throws his personal life into chaos, and keeps him from marrying the woman he loves.