For years, Lampassas has given up cowpunching to be an obedient husband and south Texas shopkeeper. When his wife dies of influenza, the aging cowboy puts on his spurs again. With his 17-year-old son at his side, Lampassas heads out on a longhorn cattle drive.

In alternating chapters from past to present, Chance Carter, former general manager of a TV station in Florida, learns about his grandmother Rista, his family's ranch in Texas, and the mysteries and secrets of his family and of their impact on him.