"A Confederate soldier, out to exact revenge on the Union soldiers who murdered his wife, follows their trail to the raucous, traveling town alongside the construction of the transcontinental railroad."--Back cover.

"Hell on Wheels tells the epic story of post-Civil War America, focusing on a Confederate soldier who sets out to exact revenger on the Union soldiers who have killed his wife. His journey takes him west to 'Hell on Wheels,' a dangerous, raucous, lawless melting pot of a town that travels with and services the construction of the first transcontinental railroad, an engineering feat unprecedented forit stime. The series explores the railroad's institutionalized greed and corruption, the immigrant experience, the rich history of Chinese workers, and the plight of the newly emancipated African-Americans during reconstruction. Over time, hell on Wheels chronicles this potent turning point in American history, and how uncivilized the business of civilization can be"--Container.