Union Pacific

Warren Neale, a civil engineer, is part of the crew laying track across the open plains as the Union Pacific pushes westward to link with the Southern Pacific in Utah. Wind, rough terrain and other hardships test his skill at every turn. Along the way he crosses paths with Allie Lee, the only person left alive after an attack by Native American raiders in the Black Hills.

The novel is a Western by Zane Grey, an author best known for frontier stories. It follows the construction of the transcontinental railroad and the men who risked their lives to build it, with the rugged landscape of the West shaping the story as much as its characters do.