When a small town's marshal is murdered, the man they ask to replace him is... a grounded air pirate?

Soon after the end of the War of Southern Independence, in which he lost his younger brother in battle, Jimmy Leary, under the assumed name of Gallagher, has signed on as a crewman on the pirate airship Isabela. Now, having disobeyed his captain and, later, landing the Isabela in hot water with the Confederate Aerial Navy, Gallagher has been banished to the fledgling mining town of Bisbee to cool his heels for an unspecified span of time, in the hopes of encouraging better behavior and wiser decisions.

Close to the borders of both Mexico and the Confederate States of America, Bisbee is a town at risk, her rich silver mines frequent targets of ruthless bandit gangs. When the town's marshal is murdered during a nighttime raid on one of the mines by marauders who arrive mysteriously and disappear just as bafflingly, the frightened citizens turn to Gallagher as the likeliest member of the tiny community to defend them, forcing the job of marshal on the unwilling pirate.

Will Gallagher be able to thwart the mysterious bandits and save the livelihoods of Bisbee's citizens? What will happen when the angry Confederate rear admiral whose friend Gallagher has killed comes seeking revenge? Will Gallagher be able to figure out his love life enough to avoid hurting his sweetheart unwillingly? And is there any chance that Gallagher can grow into a valuable member of the Isabela's crew?

Murder, mystery, and mayhem abound!