The story begins with the opening of the Kansas-Nebraska Territory in 1864, and follows a family of pioneers who leave their comfortable farm and neighbors in Illinois to claim a piece of the new territory in what is now southeastern Kansas. The first person account of ten-year-old Arvilla tells of her experiences on the journey and the challenges of settling a new land. Her parents, her sixteen-year-old twin brothers, and baby sister Ann are the center of her world, with new friends and neighbors playing an ever-increasing role as she grows to be a young woman. The events of the time, racial and political controversy, and all the difficulties that the Kansas climate can produce work together to challenge the lives and faith of the family. Interactions with the local Native Americans are an important part of her story.