When sixteen-year-old Matt Logan and his friend Danny Duggan run away from an orphanage, they go west. There, they meet Jim Bridger, among other mountain men, and become fur trappers. But the market for beaver plews dies out, and the two friends take on jobs as wagon train guides, where they separate.One of the trains Matt picks up in Independence began its journey in St. Louis, led by widower Cody McNair. Cody was a well experienced leader, having once been the captain of an ocean-going sailing ship. His adult son and daughter, Jared and Ellen and their daughter Emma Joyce, make the trip with him. Also a part of the wagon company is the Baker family, Lon, his wife Norma, and their eight-year-old daughter, Precious.On the journey west, they rescue two travelers from other trains: Nonnie Hughes, a widow who had been going west with her brother and nephew when their wagon train was attacked by a gang of white outlaws, known as the “Hood Raiders”, and beautiful, young, Darci Clinton, who had been captured by Indians after her family was slain.Tension develops with some of the members of the train, but Cody keeps everything in check as the train endures the rigors of travel. When the train is hit by the Hood Raiders, the Raiders, including their leader are killed, and the others run off. Five months and ten days after leaving St. Louis, the train reaches its final destination of Oregon City, Oregon.