It sounded simple enough - Wyatt Valeron is hired to escort a man from Paradise to Denver Colorado. However, upon arrival at the secluded mining town, he learns a sinister tyrant named Gaskell controls everyone and everything. His hired 'enforcers' maintain a form of law that supersedes all outside authority. To break a rule can mean punishment or even death. Wyatt does what comes naturally and ends up sentenced to hang. With the Valerons going into action to save Wyatt and take on the all-powerful men in Paradise, another problem has landed on the family doorstep. Cliff Mason finds himself drawn to the plight of a runaway girl, a girl with a dark secret and terrible fear of the man searching for her. Both dilemmas have a similar challenge - the authorities are unable to do anything without proof. The Valerons must act on their own to stop these criminals who are Beyond the Law.

Sketcher, as ramrod over the Valeron cattle, takes Reese Valeron's place on a trip to the yearly auction in Chicago with Shane and Jared Valeron. A simple sketch becomes the impetus that quickly involves Sketcher with several street urchins, a person called Mother and an unsolved murder. Meanwhile, Wyatt goes to visit a friend in the small town of Solitary. What starts out as a genial trip ends up as a battle with a rancher and his sons that leaves him fighting for his life. The call goes out to come to Wyatt's aid. Jared and Shane leave Sketcher to deal with buying and delivering the prize bulls to the Valeron ranch. Others from the Valeron ranch join the conflict, arriving in Solitary to wait for Jared. The battle with the Strang ranch could pit thirty men against Jared and his handful of men, while Sketcher is risking his life dealing with crooked cops and the leader of a Chicago gang. Covering bets on two fronts, the chances are slim everyone will get out alive!

Some men operate beyond the law's reach. Such are the Macreedys. They sell whiskey to the Indians across the Canadian border, then cash in their loot (including that gained from the selling of Indian women and children) and return to their horse ranch outside of Rimrock, Wyoming, outwardly living respectable lives. But the killing of an ex-Mountie in Wyoming reveals their fiendish operation to three travellers. Unfortunately for the Macreedys, one of those travellers is Scarlet Valeron, who promises the dying MP that her family will see justice done. However, without proof of a crime, the local law enforcers can do nothing, so it is left to the Valerons to figure a plan that will expose the Macreedys for the criminals they are. If that fails - well, a Valeron has made a promise - Justice will be served!

Not all criminals wear masks and carry guns. Some hide behind respectability and seldom wield a weapon. The Valerons seek justice for an attack and theft, but they find no smoking gun, no gunmen, not a single piece of evidence against the perpetrators. They realize they are dealing with clever and careful criminals. As Jared and Shane's investigation alone can't expose the guilty party, Wendy Valeron is employed to explore an alternative means. While trying not to risk her life, there is always great danger when attempting to expose an organized criminal enterprise. With fear of exposure, the nervous culprits summon help and react violently. How many lives on both sides will the Valerons' retribution claim?

This book addresses two crucial concerns of intellectual property owners--how to recover monetary compensation when an infringement has occurred and how to prevent further infringement.