When a federal penitentiary, 'Hellhole,' was built in Yuma, the native Quechans discovered a way in which they could succeed in the world of the white man; they put their uncanny tracking abilities to use catching and returning prison fugitives. Immune to the searing heat, cunning, and tenacious, the Indians moved like wraiths pursuing dangerous criminals.
Of all the Quechans, perhaps the greatest tracker was Ho-Nas Good. He was tall and powerfully strong, and in his youth, saw nothing wrong in aiding the white man. He dreamed of wealth and saw that even an Indian could do much in the white man's world—if he had money.
Honas prospered; he was happy with his land, his wealth, and his pretty young wire. Until the day that three of Yuma's toughest prisoners escaped the territorial prison and brutally raped and murdered his wife. When they were caught, the bigoted judge added a paltry few years to their sentences.
Honas changed. He became as a new man. A man charged with hate; a man powered by the overwhelming desire for revenge. Honas put his whole life and his considerable skills in the service of his revenge. And the terror came to Hellhole.