The Kents #[nn]

In 1853, Silas Kent leads his two eldest sons, Nathaniel and Jeb, to the volatile frontier of Kansas, hoping to build a new life amid the growing tensions over slavery. But when Silas is brutally murdered by a pro-slavery extremist—Luther Reid—Nathaniel and Jeb must take up the hunt for justice, racing against time and danger to uncover the truth behind their father’s death.

In "Bleeding Kansas, Part 2," Nathaniel Kent’s desperate plea to President Franklin Pierce in Washington ends in rejection, leaving Jeb Kent alone in Lawrence as tensions explode. With Luther Reid rallying armed forces from the South to surround the town, the fragile peace in Lawrence hangs by a thread—just as Wild Bill Hickok and Black Beaver arrive, drawn into a conflict that could decide the fate of the territory.

In the fractured shadow of the Civil War, Nate Kent rides alone, torn between loyalty to his brother and duty to the Union. When his horse is shot and John Glenowen is wounded saving him, Nate must face a choice that will echo through blood and brotherhood.

In the aftermath of the war, Nate Kent and Joshua Freeman return to the family farm with Wild Bill Hickok, only to find Mary Glenowen vanished without a trace. As tensions rise and old wounds resurface, Nate must confront Jim Lane and reckon with the legacy of his brother Jeb, whose final days remain shrouded in blood and silence.

In 1866, with the Civil War behind them, the Kent brothers face new paths: Jeb Kent joins Jesse James in the early days of his outlaw legacy, while Nate Kent presses on in his search for Mary Glenowen, leading to a tense showdown with the dangerous Jim Lane. Amid the dust and shadows of the western frontier, old bonds are tested and new ones forged in a world still scarred by war.

In "To The Stars by Hard Ways, Part Two," Jonathan Kent and the Kent family navigate a fractured frontier where old debts and hidden bloodlines come to light. Jeb confronts the past when he meets Taylor Beaumont, a son he never knew, while Nate joins Wild Bill Hickok on a dangerous scouting mission, and Joshua Freeman finally learns the fate of the father he’s spent years searching for.

In "To The Stars by Hard Ways, Part 3," Nathaniel Kent and James Butler Hickok take on new roles as deputy and sheriff in Hayes City, Kansas, where Nathaniel’s long search for Mary Glenowen inches toward a quiet, emotional reckoning. Meanwhile, Jebediah Kent reunites with his son, setting in motion a path that will lead him to form a band of outlaws—foreshadowing a future clash with his brother that will echo across the frontier.

In 1873, after John Wesley Hardin kills his father, Joshua Freeman returns to Smallville seeking justice—but Nate Kent convinces him to let the past rest. As Taylor Beaumont grows more ruthless alongside Jebediah Kent, the two men’s alliance begins to fracture. When Jeb arranges a trap for his own gang, using Mary Glenowen Kent as a bridge, tensions explode into violence. In the aftermath, choices are made, lives are lost, and the weight of legacy settles on the next generation. Jonathan Kent closes the story with a quiet reflection on the fates of those who walked the frontier with the Kents.