In 1876, Philip Tudor Becher left his wealthy British home in search of adventure. He spent the next several years doing various jobs in San Francisco, Bakersfield, and Chico, California where he found no lack of encounters with dangerous situations. His escapades range from almost getting shot by an angry boss and drunken landlord to falling off a flume while trying to dislodge a log jam and nearly getting killed by a mountain lion. Philip eventually married Ruth Brison and moved his young family to Spokane, Washington where they had run-ins with squatters trying to violently take their land and a criminal gang causing problems. Through it all, Philip and Ruth use their wits, charisma, and innate strength to survive in the early American West.