The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. is set in 1893 - the old West is fading, but not quite gone. The central "story" is that of John Bly, and the quest for the mysterious orb, and Brisco's avenging of his father's ("The Greatest Lawman the West has ever seen") death at the hands of Bly, and Brisco's wish to continue his father's work in his own way.