A cowboy from an unexpected place is on a mission traveling through the Kansas Territory during its formative period, four years before the Civil War. 'Bloody Kansas' was transitioning from the Wild West to a territory; however, the laws were not yet set in place, and the Pro-Slavery government was leading the predominately Anti-Slavery public. The cowboy encounters political turmoil and the remains of the yet untamed wilderness. The indigenous tribes are rebelling against harsh treatment, the influx of tribes being repositioned from the East, and the invasion of settlers taking their land. At the same time, inscrutable individuals disregard any law while selfishly taking advantage of the situation where laws only apply in towns.
Western fiction has many timeless stories that omit all political turmoil. 'TOBY WALKER - The Cowboy from Illinois' wraps the developing history within the story such that at the confluence of invasion, confrontation, lawlessness, terror, and indignation, one might find realism, empathy, and understanding.