Set twelve years after Riders of the Purple Sage, the novel follows John Shefford, a former clergyman, on his quest to find Fay Larkin in the remote Arizona-Utah borderlands. He discovers a hidden Mormon village of "sealed wives" and meets the enigmatic Sago Lily. As federal authorities move in to prosecute polygamists, Shefford confronts secrets that test his beliefs on faith, justice, and personal freedom in the harsh desert frontier.