Having accepted his legacy as Rafael Reyes de Estrada, Rafe wants to reestablish his life and business in Santa Fe with Ana Teresa by his side, but the vigilantes in Los Angeles have other ideas after they spot the young Mexicano with an enviable Appaloosa. It seems trouble finds them everywhere, including a run in with an Army deserter named Desperate Billy. Finally back in Santa Fe, he finds the Spanish aristocrats are out to insure he hangs for the death of Diego de la Torre. Though the Spanish caste system holds no legal power in the American territory, the aristocrats will not give up. No half-blooded Mexican would get away with murdering a full-blooded Spaniard. Stripped of his guns, Rafe sits in a cold jail cell anxiously waiting to learn what fate has in store for him. His trust in the American justice system to clear his name is weakening as each day of his incarceration passes and the Spanish aristocrats continue plotting against him.