The good, the bad, and the ugly infest this tall tale, as Swaney and McDukes roam the landscape west of the Rockies, their exploits often chronicled in the dime weeklies. Blaming Swaney for the death of his wife, McDukes vows revenge, but first he must bust Swaney out of Desert Prison. The successful escape triggers a chain of events that leads Swaney and McDukes to one trail town after the next, one life-threatening encounter after another. Showdowns and shootouts multiply as Swaney and McDukes alternately unite and fall apart on the way to Tap Dance, about as far west as civilization can go without falling into the Pacific Ocean. Together and apart, they face danger, disaster, and death, in towns like Atonement, Heads High, Scuffers Meadow, Pentameter, Lonely Vigil, and New Testament, until, at long last, there's a showdown and the settling of accounts at Casa Pleach, a notorious haven for bad men on the run from the law.
