Ex-cavalry scout Eli Whipp returns to his native Nebraska after being discharged from long-term military service in Oklahoma in 1890, and meets Englishwoman Cornelia, as each one pursues their own goal.
Even though he is the first European to enter the region, English gentleman Thomas Trafford struggles in the Powder River region of Wyoming, as he tries to preserve his empire against invading settlers.
Eli gets into trouble after discovering the Clarke family's main source of income and Cornelia tries to find him before it's too late, while a suspicious murder-suicide is investigated in Powder River.
Trafford witnesses a brutal massacre in Chalk River in 1875, but this determines the fate of Eli and Cornelia in the present fifteen years later.
Eli decides to make amends for past mistakes, bringing him closer to Cornelia on their journey for revenge, Trafford makes desperate attempts to feed his herd, and Marshall deals with the aftermath of Flynn's death.
Cornelia faces her son's killer, while Trafford is forced to make a tough decision after his hayrick forces are violently attacked.