Harvey Drinkwater, a small ink-slinger at a Boston newspaper, is sent by his boss to Fort Worth, Texas, with the task of writing blood-soaked articles about murder and mayhem in the notorious Hell's Half Acre district. However, Harvey has his own plans: to find his stepfather, get rich, and marry a woman, preferably a teacher. But when he meets the bandit Sam Bass and gets to ride with his wild gang, his life is turned upside down and he finds himself in mortal danger. Will he ever achieve his three goals and return to Boston? Lewis Trondheim and Matthieu Bonhomme have created a successful homage and parody of classic Wild West pulp novels with Texas Cowboys.