Jake narrates the story of his family's life in the Oklahoma dust bowl and the journey from their ravaged farm to California during the Great Depression.
Chang, the son of Chinese immigrants in San Francisco during the 1850's gold rush, wants a pony but cannot afford one until his friend Big Pete finds a solution.
One winter John Thompson skis across the Sierra Nevada Mountains and creates a path upon which mail and people may travel, thus earning his nickname "Snowshoe Thompson.".