In this third installment of the beloved Sweetwater Station saga, Fuller, Josiah and Hannah's son, has become a man of privilege.
Fuller Hadley, born and reared in the Overland Stage Line manager's house in Central Colorado, under the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, is, nevertheless, equally at ease in the cosmopolitan, society world of the bustling, vibrant city of San Francisco.
Moving between his two worlds with skill, integrity, honor and compassion for the poor and weak, this modern man of medicine brings the saga of Josiah and Hannah Hadley to the rich, new world of the 20th century. Through the relationships of his family in Colorado, and the fabulous adventurous life of society dames and wealthy businessmen, and the corruption and drama of the Barbary Coast, Fuller pieces together the patchwork quilt of life on the edge during a time when America was on the move, and heading into an era of great change and growth.
America, during the time between the Civil War years of Joe Hadley and his generation, and the Spanish-American War years of Fuller, his son, was swept up in a technological revolution, Pacific expansion, military might, and political intrigue.
Fresh from a tour of the old world of Europe, Fuller Hadley comes home to Colorado, but is too restless to stay. He tells his parents of his desire to practice medicine in San Francisco, and catches a train and starts his new adventure with a carefree, determined smile on his face. But soon the turbulence and drama of the hospital and the physical distress of the indigent patients he serves take a toll on his life and health. Refreshed by the sparkling electric lights and fabulous sights of the San Francisco Midwinter Fair of 1894, he rebuilds his strength and his relationship with his father, Joe Hadley, as they tour the buildings and grounds set among the grandeur of the Gateway to the Pacific Ocean.
His lifestyle is interrupted by war between the United States and Spain. He joins the United States Navy and becomes the medical officer on one of America's finest ships of the line. From San Francisco, around the Horn to the Florida Keys, to Brazil and to Hong Kong, Fuller sees the world in a different way.
Coming home to Colorado, he is confronted with the changes in his family and the lifestyle of the past. How can he reconcile this peaceful setting with the drama and perplexities of war?
Back in San Francisco, he is caught up in the devastating turmoil and destruction of the Great Quake of 1906. How does this challenge to the modern world prepare Fuller Hadley for the future?
Come with us once more to the days of old, when a man's handshake was worth more than the paper on which contracts were written; to a world where integrity and duty were more than catchwords spoken in jest, and the sacrifice of one's self was a badge of honor and pride.
