Border dawn: "Joe Alvarado's family has occupied his land for generations. Joe is an old man now, and has always lived in peace with his neighbors. But Grant Mitchell of the Bar M thinks now is the time to make his move. He orders the irrigation system on Joe's land to bed stoppered. It is only the first step in a plan to force Joe to sell out. A bullet is another way. Joe is badly wounded. Town Mashall Greg Hudson for the first time in his life has compromised and taken money from Grant Mitchell to do nothing. At this point a stranger shows up in town. No one knows where he's from or where he's going, but it soon becomes apparent that he alone will side with Joe Alvarado"--Page 2 of cover.

"A rider from the Bear Trap Ranch, seemingly drunk, picks a fight with a stranger who has just arrived in town and is shot and killed. It was a fair fight, but Sheriff Tim Wade arrests the stranger, holding him over until a hearing can be held. Race Dunphy, outside whose saloon the shooting occurred, is puzzled by the incident, especially when he learns that the Bear Trap rider was feigning being drunk. The mystery deepens when Earnest Franklyn, owner of the Bear Trap, shows up in town. He appears to recognize the stranger, but nothing about it is said by either man. Franklyn's only response is that he wants Dunphy's saloon closed, and closed at once."--Page 2 of cover.