The story not only takes the reader along the trail to Oregon but it also takes the reader along with the main characters to the gold fields of California, to the nation's capital where the fate of the western lands is deliberated. It deals with the great events that drove out government's policies and the emigrant's dreams and ambitions. But this novel deals not only with one of America's most dramatic eras but also with a story of adventure, of triumphs and disasters, and above all, a story steeped in the loves and passions of those to whom we owe our heritage.