After Rafael Ortega de Estrada, the Young Pistolero, fought with Diego de la Torre over the right to court and marry the beautiful Ana Teresa de Soto, Diego's friends and the local Spanish aristocracy in Santa Fe are full of hate over Diego's death. They want revenge against Rafe who had the impertinence to defy the Spanish caste system. His mother's confession was shocking - she was raped by don Bernardo and Rafe is the bastard son of the man he hates the most in the world. She would have kept her secret, except the laws in Mexico have changed and Rafe may be able to inherit the huge Reyes hacienda in Torreón, Mexico. His mother begs him to inherit the estate for his sister María, who is traveling in the hills of Mexico with a known outlaw. Needing to go to Mexico to claim his legacy, Rafe leaves town before the Spaniards start an all out assault on his life. Legally inheriting the hacienda after proving his birthright, Rafe is spun into a dark world of tequila and opium after Carmela steals Rafe's prize Appaloosa from the streets of Mexico City. Torn between his responsibilities and rescuing his prize horse, he might not live long enough to claim his legacy and his lawful name, Rafael Reyes de Estrada.