An exciting duel between a railway monarch who is celebrated as a hard fighter, and a young civil engineer, over a strip of track that means the right of way for two competing lines, forms the theme of this novel. The love comes into the story by means of a pretty girl, niece of the railroad magnate, who is divided in her mind between loyalty to her relative and a strong fancy for the young engineer. The story abounds in incident and is brightly and pleasantly told.