Wade Walls is a young man who is against cattle in the West. Wade wrote a book about his opinions and convinces Shy Hamp to help him stop cattle ranchers in Wyoming. Shy believes Wade is motivated by his love for the land and his concern that the cattle is destroying the natural fauna of the state. Wade claims to want to return Wyoming to the way God meant for it to be. However, Wade's true motivation is the fact that his father contracted a rare form of cancer while working in a meat packing plant. Wade turns out to be a coward, leaving Shy to take the blame for fences they both cut.