It's the end of the year 1882 in Progress County in the Montana Teritory, when young Merlin Fanshaw finds himself caught between the competing agendas of a ruthless outlaw, 2 very different lawmen, & one pretty girl. Thus begins the fast paced adventure of Merlin, the Bodaciuos Kid, as he deals with gold, greed, & gunfire. But there is more to this story, within its pages & beneath the sweeping movement of its plot lies a deft & subtle examination of such unchanging & time less topics as character, morality, & the place of individual conscience in the life of Merlin, & in the lives of us all.