Central Kansas Library System

This is the story of fearless devotion to a hard-won ideal, of betrayal from within and sabotage that reaches as far Britain's and Imperial Russia's shores, of Indian uprising and natural disaster. And above all, it is the story of "Whip" Holt.

During the 1848 Gold Rush, a former Texas Ranger, an Eastern attorney, and a crippled war veteran and his wife are among the pioneers whose values and courage are tested in the quest for gold and the struggle to create a new life.

The first wagon train to Oregon country moves slowly across the Great Plains, reaching the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in early autumn. Before these brave pioneers lie endless miles of hardship and danger, treachery and death. Beneath their struggle for survival lie hidden rivalries, unspoken secrets, and burning jealousies that threaten to consume them all. But in their hearts beats the dream of a new beginning in a promised land - the unstoppable...

Unflagging courage took them through the valleys of the Badlands to the vast prairies of fertile, new territory. The promise of endless fields of golden wheat, great herds of prime beef cattle, fabulous empires built from railroads and mines lured the ambitiousand the brave to the uncharted country. But war cries soon echoed across the plains as mighty red nations united in a pact of blood to fight the newcomers for their sacred hunting grounds....

While Clay and his band lead an expedition up the Yellowstone River, brother Jeff Holt heads back east on a treacherous quest ; impetuous young cousin Ned takes to the high seas ; and in the east, Melissa Holt struggles against the unscrupulous business man who means to have her.