An Owens Valley Chronicle

More bold than wise, Johnny Miller and Charlie Turner leave Missouri for San Francisco in 1856, quickly viewing plains country as desolate. Conflicts faced by immigrants, discarded possessions, and graves along the trails shake their confidence, but they are buoyed by the optimism of the immigrants, who anticipate a better life at their destination. After finally reaching the Sierra Nevada Mountains, they encounter their first taste of western lawlessness. Although disturbed by the incident, they arrive on the Pacific Coast at last and find this new land appealing. After working in San Francisco for five years, and after saving the life of a Mexican stranger, the three of them help drive cattle back across the Sierras to Virginia City. They decide to settle in the then sparsely populated Owens Valley on the eastern side of the Sierras. Unfortunately, they are unprepared for Indian conflicts and the violence of mining towns. Clashes with Indians were not as extensive as in other parts of the country, but they were just as brutal and uncompromising. While adapting to their new home, the Civil War rages, resulting in constant worry about the safety of their respective families back east. When the war ends, tragedy in the valley and in Missouri sends Johnny home twice, but he returns to the valley. Anticipating only discomfort and hard work, ordeals east and west of the country control their fate and the fate of their families.