Book Synopsis: A new dawn was rising over the vast, once uncharted territories west of the Mississippi. And for the original trailblazers like Titus Bass -- bold, resourceful men who dine on buffalo meat, trade in beaver pelts, and live among the warrior bands -- the world will never be the same. Traveling with his wife and infant daughter, Bass heads north into Crow territory. But what should have been a joyous reunion with his wife's people turns to tragedy when Bass's family is kidnapped by warring Blackfoot. Yet as Bass sets out across the icy northern plains in a desperate search for his family, he encounters enemies even more dangerous than the Blackfoot. A deadly outbreak of smallpox, brought west by the white man, threatens both Indian nations with annihilation. And another kind of epidemic -- this one of greed -- brought by two powerful, profit-hungry trading outfits will determine the fate not only of free trappers like Titus Bass... but the destiny of the entire nation.