The journal entries of Callie Wade, simple and filled with wry humor, tell the hardship, triumphs and sorrows of a young woman traveling west with a wagon train bound for California. Callie's words reflect the bitter reality of the trail : the back-breaking work, fear, of sickness along the doctorless trails, coping when tempers grow short and water is scarce. Death is a constant reminder in each and every grave they pass.
It is only with the love of her family, the friendships she secures along those endless miles and the hope for them all that Callie endures. These pages are filled with the daily tasks that are necessary for survival: recipes that make do with whatever is available along the trail, folk remedies and folk arts such as making shirts, setting up camp and tending to the animals. Some of Callie's trials are more personal: the unwarranted atttcks from the preacher's wife, the unwanted lustful glances from her son and her blossoming love for Quinn McGregor, the sensitive Irishman on the trail with them.
