When 12, Blackthorn Wolfe hid when Comanches killed his family. But at 17, he accepts any risk to prove he is NOT a coward. Blackie begged for a chance to prove himself Pascal's Chief Scout. His test is to lead a mule train from El Paso to Fort Laramie in 1858. Pascal LeBrun, his godfather, and owner of the mule-train freight business, calls Blackie's bluff. "If you take this job and fail, I'll question why I keep you around."