On the Texas Panhandle frontier as woman was seen as either a whore or a helpmate. Mattie Jo Hunter was neither. Determined to build a ranching empire on the the desolate plains, she went her own way and asked no quarter from nature or man--including her weakling husband. She would do what she must to realize her dream and secure her own self-respect. As Mattie's bond with her ranch manager and former Texas Ranger, Jesse McDade, grew stronger, they risked both their honor and their dreams.