Smoke is determined to stay on the right side of the law—until he's jumped by six low-life robbers who steal his shirt and his identity. Tried for robbery and murder, Smoke’s sentenced to hang in the morning. But come sunup, he’s already after the desperados who've set him up. Smoke's going to hunt them down one by one. Because nobody frames the Mountain Man. Nobody who plans on staying alive, that is . . . Smoke takes a contract to deliver three thousand head of cattle, but a renegade Cheyenne warrior uses an early winter blizzard to attack Smoke and his outgunned cowboys. Too bad it's only the first step in a journey built to test Smoke's mettle, because some people are hunting a payday of their own—for killing Smoke Jensen. Soon the streets of Laramie will run with blood . . .