1881 – Nearly a generation has passed since the War Between the States. The atrocities of war have changed some men for the worse and set John Channing, a war veteran, on the path of being one of the most feared and notorious outlaws the west has ever seen. The Channing Gang makes a name for themselves, cutting a swath of violence westward until Channing meets Rebekah Wallace, the daughter of a preacher, as they seek to start a new church in a burgeoning New Mexico town. Channing is forced to examine his life and chooses a new path, but his former gang and the town's mayor have other ideas. As events escalate, the former outlaw has his faith severely tested and he has to make a decision as to whether he will revert to the way of the gun or the way of the cross.