Marvin Ellis starts out for California at age nineteen. He joins a cattle drive that he caught up to. Unknown to him, the cattle were stolen. The owner and his men catch up to them and only through his ingenuity of hiding along a creek did he keep from being hung. He was now on foot but ran into a Mexican woman and her two children. They were alone as bandits had killed the husband. Marvin joins them as they need him. They are headed for Chihuahua City. Marvin couldn't leave them by themselves, so he helps them along their way. Bandits attack them, and Marvin was able to kill most of them. Their leader happened to be a notorious bandit who had a large bounty on his head. Marvin had his horse and belt buckle. Everyone then knew it was the bandits, so Marvin was paid the reward. He became friends with a gunsmith in Chihuahua and told him about driving the cattle in Texas. The owner of the large number of cattle was looking for a foreman to drive his cattle to Santa Fe. The gunsmith recommended Marvin as he remembered Marvin telling him about driving cattle in Texas. Thus, the owner hires Marvin, and they become lifelong friends. The story has love stories mingled with the many adventures. After Marvin makes his fortune, he finally gets to California.