Kincaid’s chance meeting of a quirky saloon matron lands him square in the middle of a cross-town conflict where an abundance of unchecked lies proves as lethal as flying lead. After having helped his sister out of a dreadful life-and-death situation in a remote and forlorn territory, Kincaid aims to return to Wharton Grove to clear himself of charges of attempted bank robbery. When he disembarks at the nearest railroad station to his destination, however, Henrietta “Hettie” Harbaugh, an eccentric saloon-owning grande dame, mistakes him for the tall rider she has hired, sight unseen, to protect her interests against a ruthless rival, Luther P. Salmon. Kincaid quickly learns that, peculiar though she may be, Hettie Harbaugh is as likeable and principled a businesswoman as Luther Salmon is amoral, deceitful, and downright dangerous. Finding that Hettie truly is down to her last options, Kincaid decides to stay on and—against all odds—help her keep what’s rightfully hers. What he discovers in the process is that Hettie is by no means the only one in desperate need of help in a town where lies and accusations seem to protect the powerful, while the suffering of deceived citizens is pitilessly silenced.