Two former Texas Rangers, Woodrow Call and Augustus McCrae, drive cattle from Texas to Montana with a crew of oddballs, misfits, and true heroes. With its roots firmly sunk in classic trail-drive lore, this novel nevertheless transcends the Western genre. Commenting on the book's phenomenal success, McMurtry said, "LONESOME DOVE was a critical book. But that's not how it was perceived. The romance of the West is so powerful, you can't really swim against the current. Whatever truth about the West is printed, the legend is always more potent." In 1987 the novel was adapted as a successful TV miniseries.