In 1806 Frederick and Katherine Stockman land their family in a forlorn swamp at the mouth of the Trinity River of Spanish Texas. They try to start a new life surrounded by menacing wildlife, debilitating maladies, hostile people and a growing threat of war. As "Texicans" they are accepted neither by their Spanish overlords or those in favor of independence. Aligning with Miguel Gonzales, a young Royalist deserter, the Stockman's help liberate Mexico and Texas from Spanish rule. Honored as heroes of the revolution, they find themselves vilified by North American "Texians" set on a separate state. The Stockman's are swept along in the political current as their hero-turned-despot, General Santa Anna, brings them and Texas to a deadly showdown.