Scott City is the third of three historical novels depicting the life of fictional plains adventurer, Lane Collier. Collier returns to Kansas to help his step-daughter and son-in-law preserve their ranch against the ruthless aggression of Texas cattleman, Dusty Hollingsworth. Hollingsworth is the last of the old-time free-range cattle barons who cannot accept the encroachment of homesteaders and the enclosure of small ranches by barbed wire.