The novel is set in 1777, the “Bloodiest Year of the American Revolution,” when the British are paying for American scalps. This incites violence from Native American tribes against American settlers.  The story follows Alan Brant, a frontiersman fighting alongside a small group of Americans against the combined forces of the British and Native Americans in Kentucky. He seeks revenge on a renegade who sold a settlement to the tribes and harmed a woman he loved. His quest for vengeance is complicated by a murder charge, a vengeful Indian warrior, and a romance with a “half-wild Indian girl”.  Author information The author is Gardner Francis Fox (1911–1986), an American writer known for his prolific work across various genres, including science fiction, fantasy, and historical fiction. He used many pseudonyms throughout his career, with “Jefferson Cooper” being one of them. Other novels written under the same pseudonym include Jezebel and Captain Seadog.