Eli, a 19th-century bounty hunter from Oregon City and the novel’s narrator, is waiting for his brother Charlie outside the home of their boss, the Commodore, for news of a job. He has been given a new, inferior horse after his previous one was immolated on their last, hazardous assignment.

Eli and Charlie go for a drink in a bar in Oregon City. Charlie reveals that because he will be the “lead man” on the upcoming job, he will be paid more. Their task is to track down and kill a man named Hermann Warm in San Francisco.

The next day, the brothers ride to a forest 20 miles away. There they come across a “weeping man” (13), with whom they share food. When questioned about why he’s weeping, the man can only repeat the phrase, “They’re all gone!” (14). He then leaves.