Seth had never cared for the easy life. When things got too comfortable he always found trouble--or it found him. He had found at an early age the prosperous plantation that had been in his family for four generations did not offer enough challenges to make him happy. In fact, the whole state of Virginia was too tame for him. So, as soon as he graduated from William and Mary, he struck out to find someplace he could have the freedom and space he desired. In 1836, after nearly a year of searching, he finds himself in Texas.

He enters the territory just days after the small, inexperienced Texas army, in its attempt to win Texas' independence from Mexico, has met a devastating defeat at the hands of the large and powerful Mexican army. After establishing a rather large and prosperous cattle ranch in the Texas hill country he meets the woman who makes his life complete. They raise a family and together meet the challenges of the unsettled frontier. Together they establish a Texas dynasty and leave their footprints in Texas history.