Oppression brings out the best in some men . . . In an escalating crusade, James MacLaren fights to unmask the syndicate bent on destruction of local mining towns. He is drawn into a treacherous battle of bribery, domination, and a scale of justice tilted decidedly against friends and neighbors. Distracted by the fate of the miners, James suffers the absence of surrogate son Justin and loses sight of Charlotte's objectionable romance. Justin lands in the path of conflict, and Charlotte's headstrong ways trigger James's contempt for the rich . . . pitting father against daughter. Casualties of gold and greed lie strewn across the landscape of San Francisco, Sacramento, and the mining towns of Sierra Nevada. Who survives the Raid of Souls?