Jeff and Will, aged 11 and 10, met on a Southwest Texas ranch in 1892 and became lifelong friends (Compadres). It was predicted that Jeff would eventually spend his life manipulating money and Will's future would find him in the company of adoring women. They continue to pursue these goals while experiencing cowboy life at the turn of the century. They also find themselves involved in bordellos and gambling halls on both sides of the border; bloody battles of Mexico's revolution; a hellish prison; Pancho Villa's raid on Columbus, New Mexico; and Pershing's expedition into Mexico to capture him. While this story offers adventure; romance; man against man and man against killer horse in fights to the death; "the heart and soul of Compadres" is the bonding of two distinct personalities into a lifelong friendship.