"One of the best of a new breed of Western writers" delivers a classic novel of an old school cowboy struggling against the closing of the frontier (The New York Times).
Hewey Calloway has a problem. In his West Texas home land of 1906, the way of life that he loves is changing too quickly for his taste.
Hewey dreams of freedom—he wants only to be a footloose horseback cowboy, endlessly wandering the open range. But the open range of his childhood is slowly disappearing: land is being parceled out, and barbed-wire fences are springing up all over. As if that weren't enough, cars and other machines are invading Hewey's simple cowboy life, stinking up the area and threatening to replace horse travel. As Hewey struggles against the relentless stream of "progress", he comes to realize that the simple life of his childhood is gone, that a man can't live a life whose time has passed, and that every choice he makes—even those that lead to happiness—requires a sacrifice.