Nell Washburn is uprooted from her happy childhood in Iowa when tragedy strikes the family and, to appease her grieving father, she concedes to his desire to move west, following the arduous Oregon Trail. When fate once more overtakes Nell, her subsequent adventures see her striking out alone in hostile country, joining a cattle drive, and carving out a stake in the wild, lawless gold rush towns of California. She meets memorable people, both good...