[4] Borderlands spans several decades as the somewhat naïve orphan, Ben Curtis, loses his mother and his brother, and learns the harsh lessons of life in the Wild West, experiencing the rise and fall of famous boom towns like Abilene and Dodge City.

In Clement County, Texas, Beauregard 'Bo' Curtis, his younger brother Benjamin 'Ben', and their widowed mother are struggling to keep their farm afloat in the tough economic times of the late 19th century.

To make matters worse, they also discover that their poor mother owed money to the local preacher, Tyler, and are quickly evicted from their only home, left to fend for themselves on the harsh prairie.

Completely broke, and now without a roof over their heads, the two brothers set out for the town of Lookout, Texas in hope of getting some jobs working on Sam Clark's cattle drive.

Throughout the drive, Ben begins to gain respect for black Americans; he stops calling the cook "nigger" and uses his real name, Tom Arnold.

After half a year of travelling through snow, rain, and sand storms on the desert plains, they arrive in the boom town of Abilene, Kansas, on 13 June 1871.

Making matters worse, his boss, Jacob Besser, and his daughter Goblinka, are foreign immigrants, causing Ben to further disrespect them.

But he eventually grows used to his new life quiet lifestyle in Abilene, and after staying there for nearly two years, Ben forgets all about his vow to avenge Bo.

His last few ties to Abilene now gone, Ben boards a train for the growing town of Dodge City, Kansas, to set up a fur business with Jacob Besser's brother, Brusik.

Ben is almost robbed one day, just barely driving the bandits off, and decides to hire some bodyguards to protect the furs – who themselves turn out to be thugs.

To his horror and anger, he is forced to leave his store (and the money he hid underneath it), when it's bought by a man named Tom Stokes.

Broke and homeless yet again – like all those years ago in Clement County, only this time without his older brother Bo to guide him – Ben Curtis quickly hits rock bottom.

He and Sam briefly run into Ben's old friend, Tom Arnold again (who warns them of disputes with Indians up ahead), before continuing on their way to the Californian border.