Seventeen-year-old Megan Thornton, with her aging father, Clay, works as an independent truck driver in contemporary Southern California. She becomes acquainted with 17-year-old Gorden Elder, a drifter, when he happens along a highway in time to forestall a hijacking attempt of her truck during a nighttime run from San Diego to Mitford, the big town cum small city in which much of the novel takes place. Because of a past experience, Megan is reluctant to get close to anyone outside of her family, and although she is grateful to Gordon for his intervention, she refuses to respond beyond the impersonal thank you. Megan is also very suspicious of her employer for the last several years, David Colby, head of the Golden West Trucking Company. She feels that the pedantic and extremely cold Colby is engaging in some sort of illegal activity. Her instincts are correct. Megan and Clay have been saving their money in order to move from Mitford and begin their lives anew. But through Colby's manipulations Clay is arrested for a crime he did not commit. Megan, unaware of the real contents of her cargo, will be forced to drive a huge shipment of illegal materials to Colby's contacts in Reno, Nevada. Once more Gordon appears on the scene. He uses his extraordinary abilities as a boxer to enter and win the local "Wild Man" competition and presents Megan with enough money to pay off the damages Clay has been charged with, thus seeming to break Colby's hold on the pair. But Colby's machinations continue to work to get Megan to truck the delivery to Reno. With Gordon riding with her, and other legitimate truckers joining them in another loaded rig, the adventure kicks into high gear. Colby learns that the shipment has been tampered with and is now desperately trying to contact the rigs to get them back. Megan and the others are determined to complete the delivery. Colby sends out his henchmen, and there are confrontations on the road. There are surprises from more than one source, and one more important prize-fight that Gordon must win.
Novel Type: Adventure/Psychological Drama/Relationships Primary Audience: Boys/girls Interest Level: Grades 8-12; ages 14-17 Author Style: Narrative Mood: Serious
