In the Far North, a secret river of gold containing riches beyond imagination beckons young Billy Gaynor. Billy sets out from Minnesota to San Francisco, and as he travels, gains an appreciation of his heritage from famous soldiers, adventurers, inventors, and statesmen he meets whose deeds have helped forge the nation. Billy reaches Seattle just as a ship brimming with tons of gold arrives from the Klondike, and as gold fever ignites the country, Billy is swept headlong into the Great Klondike Gold Rush. Billy fights his way across five hundred miles of treacherous mountains and raging rivers to arrive in Dawson City, a wild boomtown where the most bizarre scenes are everyday occurrences. Finding the rich claims already taken, Billy opens a bakery and operates a coalmine. . His exploits are many, including saving the life of a freezing Indian; hunting down a gold thief; uncovering a mysterious bog man; panning for gold in an outhouse;and discovering heart-fluttering revelations regarding the fairer sex.