Twenty years have passed since Emily Ives escaped her husband and fled west on the California Trail with her infant son, James. Settled in a cottage by the sea with her new husband, Caleb, she begins a peaceful life far from the Black Hills and the devastating events that took place there.

Fearing for her son, she keeps his father's identity a secret, certain he will never discover the truth...

Frank Merritt has spent his life rushing from one escapade to the next, but when he finds himself on the wrong side of the brothers who run Deadwood, he seeks help from the one person he trusts?his cousin Jimmy.

Eager to save him, Jimmy heads to Dakota Territory, unaware of the dark legacy he carries or the danger that awaits him in the ruthless gold rush town.

Because others have been awaiting his return, and will twist the secret of his identity to their advantage, even if it means hurting the people he loves.

Will Jimmy discover the truth before the deadly forces of his past rise against him? Or do secrets carry a reckoning even he can't escape?