After ten years on the Texas cattle trail with little to show for it, twenty-six-year-old Clinton James heads west in hopes of striking it rich in the California gold fields. Lady, his salt-and-pepper gray, is getting old; he knows this will be her last drive. Riding into the dusty little town of Bitter Creek, James is broke, out of grub, and he has to find work-quickly. While wondering if he made the right decision, Clinton meets the first of many people along the western trail who will forever mark his life-from the greedy merchants who would readily take advantage of him, to the old stockman who tells Clinton of the riches to be had at the Lost Ravine Gold Mine, and a beautiful young woman with a little girl, both stranded after losing their belongings and their families. Clinton's journey to the Lost Ravine Gold Mine, one of the richest strikes around, is a lonely trail with danger waiting around every bend, where a lone rider could disappear and never be missed. Will James make it to the gold fields, or will romantic escapades and ruthless outlaws force him to abandon his dream?