Young Thomas Early lived with his mother and father in a sod house on a farm in the middle of a vast, desolate prairie. When he was only ten years old, both of his parents passed away. His distant aunt and uncle, Millie and Zachary Stockbridge, rode over to care for him. The three of them worked the farm for six years until Millie Stockbridge passed away. Soon after, Zachary suffered a fatal riding accident. With no remaining family, Tom Early abandoned the farm and rode west, hoping to find a place to start a new life. He settled in the town of Blossom Springs, where he met Horace Hollenbak, the local newspaper publisher. Horace hired Tom and taught him the newspaper business. Two years later, Tom met Virginia Clarey, and after a brief courtship, he proposed. She accepted, but just before the wedding, a former sweetheart from Virginia's past reappeared and challenged Tom to a duel for her hand. Forced to back down, Tom vowed to become a gunfighter and reclaim his intended bride. He rode to the Southwest Territory to seek out the notorious gunfighter Wesley Garret, who agreed to train him but warned that living by the gun would make him mean and ruthless. Tom remained confident that he would eventually settle down with Virginia, but he soon realized that achieving that dream would be far more difficult than he had ever imagined.