When 13 year old Cassandra Louise McKinnon begins the long journey from Cincinnati, Ohio to Oregon by wagon train in April of 1845, she is full of enthusiasm. At first, traveling with her family through populated country is pleasant enough. But after leaving civilization behind, and experiencing long, exhausting days on the trail without any comforts, she begins to wonder what she is in for. The question of 'what lies ahead?' returns to her mind again and again when they pass graves of earlier travelers, when extreme weather makes progress difficult and trials and near-disasters occur. An answer comes unexpectedly from the lips of a frail, elderly woman who is traveling west with her husband to teach at a missionary school. "Good things lie ahead," she tells Cassie and her best friend Mary Beth, "in Oregon, and for believers even better things in heaven, should any of us be called to God before journey's end." Could I ever share such confidence? Cassie wonders. Fear, doubt and bad dreams come more naturally; but Cassie also experiences personal triumphs through the employment of her sharp observational skills and intelligence - and boldly solves a mystery that threatens to become a crime against the whole wagon train community. But questions still remain. Will we get to Oregon safely? Will I ever learn to trust God and overcome my worries? Will hope and peace of heart ever come?