John Clinton Ryan is a man caught in the gunsights of history, traveling across Mexican Alta California in the mid-1800s. As the rumblings of war grow in cabinet rooms in Mexico City, Los Angeles, London, and Washington, and in the hearts of those who have already lost loved ones in the violent struggle for this magnificent land, Clint will find himself hunted by the U.S. government; robbed of his gold, his guns, and almost his life by a vicious Mexican bandit; and forced to choose sides between two dangerous enemies. And only when the musket fire stops and the smoke clears will he know which flag flutters free, which side prevailed... and at what cost.