The years following the American Civil War propelled the great state of Texas into a bold future through a rush of expansionism. Much of this industrious activity was made possible by the ever-increasing reach of the railroads and, in Texas, great stretches of track were laid down and paid for with the lives of prisoners having little hope of ever escaping the state penal system. Ruby's Prayer is the story of the Texas-based Wallace family during the spring of 1880. The family is recovering from the wounds of the Civil War, including the loss of their mother, son Tom Wallace's inhuman incarceration, and sibling rivalries and double-dealings, all while enmeshed in the intrigues of political, monetary and personal ambitions. Full of colorful characters both likable and despicable, Ruby's Prayer reveals the hopes, loves and trials of an American family struggling to find their way during the tumultuous emergence of the Industrial Age and the final days of the Wild West.