Gallows fodder! That`s how Ned Hookens, a poor London apprentice born in the shadow of St Paul`s in the 1760s, is viewed by his master. And in no time Ned`s set to prove him right, when a member of the watch gets accidentally killed. The travelling life beckons, but with it comes more trouble - in the form of Melissa, the boss`s daughter. It`s the Colours or curtains for Ned, who`s soon overseas serving as a sharpshooter fighting the rebel Americans. After Yorktown - and more woman trouble - Ned takes his trusty Ferguson rifle out West to the Big River, where destiny awaits him as a frontiersman among the Mandan people. Join Ned Hookens in this gripping historical adventure, full of sharply drawn characters and agonising confrontations, as he fights for survival as a changed man in a brave new world.