Plot summary

Above all, Sam Whiskey, an intrepid adventurer who's not afraid to get his hands dirty if the price is right, loves to take his chances. With this in mind, after numerous underpaid jobs, a stint in the army, and a failed attempt in the business world, desperate-for-cash Sam finds himself hopelessly seduced by the beautiful widow, Laura Breckenridge, who has an offer many would refuse. Now, on the bottom of Colorado's serpentine Platte River, somewhere in the sunken steamboat Bonnie Blue, a quarter of a million dollars in gold bars awaits one man crazy enough to confront violent river pirates and bushwhackers. However, that's not all. If Sam succeeds in retrieving the gold, he must have the stomach for yet another, even more dangerous challenge: return the precious gold ingots to the impenetrable, heavily guarded Denver Mint. This time, the odds are against him. Is bold Sam Whiskey up to the job?—Nick Riganas