For Sarah Jane Rousseau, an accomplished pianist from New Castle Upon Tyne, this seven-month journey means leaving all her gentrified comforts behind. It's a sacrifice she is willing to make, however, if she ever wants to walk again.

After years of trying everything he could for his wife, Dr. James Rousseau is desperate to find a cure for Sarah's debilitating rheumatism. He hopes that a climate cure in the warm, dry air of California might be the answer she needs.

While the Civil War is raging in the east, the Rousseaus join with three other families from Pella, Iowa to make the arduous covered wagon journey across the American Plains. Along the way, tensions run high under the stern captaincy of Sgt. Nicholas P. Earp. In Idaho Territory, unsuspecting emigrants are caught in the crossfire of angry Northern Plains Indians. In Utah, Mormons put Dr. James to the test while sickness runs rampant. When they leave, Paiute Chief Kanosh sends them with a guide who leads the Pella Company across the desolate Mohave Desert and into the Valley of Fire. By the time they reach the Sierra Nevada, food and water supplies are exhausted and every bit of ammunition spent. When the Rousseaus can go no further, the Pella Company leaves them stranded in Winter.

In the only complete, surviving account from the Pella Company, read how the Iowans face fierce enemies, quicksand, hailstorms, poison water, and the blazing sun. Feel the budding romance between youths. See who has enough mettle to survive. And meet surprise heroes who restore the emigrants' faith in humanity.

Sarah Jane Rousseau captures every exquisite detail in this family heirloom; now, a treasured tale of American History.