"My God, he's beautiful," Garnett thought when she saw him. He was indeed a king. And would he, the great Edward Kingston, think that Garnett, the dirt-poor daughter of a small-town minister, was good enough for his eldest son?

Garnett need not have worried. Because from the moment they met, Garnett and King were drawn to each other with bands of steel and fire. And their turbulent love forged anew the great purpose to which King had pledged his life - the railroad.

Theirs was a new legacy. But peace was not a part of it. Adultery, blackmail, betrayal and uncontrollable passions shaped their destiny - and made them a legend.