Sheriff Teasle is a small town sheriff who lives and works in the same small town where he grew up. Teasle's mother died when he was young and a few years later his father was killed in a hunting accident. This left Teasle to be raised by the hard and demanding friend of his father, Orval Kellerman. Teasle finds it difficult to please Orval and they have recently begun to battle over who might be right or wrong. Pride is strong in both men and this is part of the difficulty they experience in their relationship.
Teasle is married, but his desire to have children has caused his wife to leave him. Teasle spends the first part of the novel wondering if his wife will ever come home, only learning at the end that his wife has already decided to remain in California rather than to return to her husband. When Teasle loses his wife, he has finally lost everything and has nothing left to lose. It is with this knowledge that Teasle goes to face Rambo for the last time.
Teasle is a man of great pride and this pride is much of what motivates him to get into his fight with Rambo. Teasle wants his town to be peaceful and free of crime, therefore he misjudges Rambo and tries to force him out of town. Teasle then insists that things be done his way in his jail. Much to Teasle's credit, he is always polite and proper with Rambo, but he does not stop to learn about Rambo's past experiences in the war and therefore badly underestimates him. It is because of this that Teasle and Rambo find themselves in an unmatched battle.
