Untitled Revisionist Western Chapter Summaries:

Chapter One:

Kiona Kork stands on a sacred butte overlooking two rival towns: industrial Blackridge and peaceful Eden’s Drift. After being cast out by her mother for an unspecified wrongdoing, she reflects on the loving life she lost and realizes she finally exhausted her family’s forgiveness.

As railroad surveyors decide which town the railroad will connect to, Kiona forms a desperate plan: she will go to Blackridge and sabotage its chances of getting the railroad. She believes that if Eden’s Drift wins instead, she can return home as a hero and regain the love and acceptance she lost.

Symbolizing her transformation, Kiona cuts off her long hair, abandoning her old identity, and heads toward Blackridge determined to do whatever it takes.

Chapter Two:

Kiona leaves Edens Drift and heads to the railroad planners’ camp, determined to stop the growing conflict between Eden’s Drift and Blackridge. As she walks, she struggles with fear, anger, and memories of feeling trapped and rejected by her community and family. At the camp, she overhears railroad officials debating which town should become the rail hub. They favor Blackridge because it has a bank and the infrastructure to support industrial growth, while Edens Drift remains isolated and traditional.

Listening to them, Kiona realizes the bank is the key to Blackridge’s power and future prosperity. She decides that simply stealing from it would not be enough — she wants to destroy the influence of the powerful Blackridge families completely. At the same time, she reflects on her painful separation from her family, especially her mother, and how cutting her hair symbolized breaking away from her old life. The chapter ends with Kiona entering Blackridge, seemingly resolved to take drastic action.