David Loxton

In 1882, Mitchell Pelham's family moved to Missoula, Montana from England.  On the first day in town he meets Charles Oastler and Robert Brookes the sons of the leading families in Missoula.  The boys enjoy each other's company though a friendly rivalry is set up. That innocent rivalry is kindled into flames by the arrival of Kate Gratham, the daughter of the new Sheriff and, as years progress, into an irrational feud that divides most of the town.
 Then, in the early 1900s, an unprecedented flood inundates the five valleys and many in Missoula start to reassess their priorities.