The Civil War was a thunderhead on the horizon. Rebel agents infested the Army. Their job: Stop Western Union from stringing telegraph lines. Time after time, Washington sent counter-spies against the plotters. Every one was killed. In desperation, West Point cadet Quincy St. Clair was tapped for the dangerous assignment. To carry out his orders St. Clair had to desert and re-enlist as a trooper out West. There, an immediate attempt was made to kill him. From that grim moment on, he knew he was living on borrowed time among fanatic, unseen enemies.