Joseph Wade has been the Sheriff of Hope for as long as most can recall, although very few remember him from the time before the brace and the bottle took their toll. Once a man held in the highest of regards for his law-keeping abilities, he now drinks to dull the pain and dilute the memories. However, when sober, his continued concept of fair justice – allied with his calm demeanour and steadying influence on the townsfolk of Hope – leaves a strong-enough impression for his occasionally ill-judged transgressions to be, if not forgiven, at least mostly overlooked.