In the spring of 1904, the parents of twelve-year-old Jonathan Schwartz send him alone by train, from Streeter, North Dakota, to Ruff, Washington. There he is to stay with a distant cousin he's never met while searching for suitable farmland offered by the U.S. government at $1.25 an acre. Jonathan's parents would follow as soon as they had sold their own farm in Streeter, which had been devastated by storms.

What happens in the months after Jonathan reaches his destination could never have been anticipated. While the trip begins with the thrill of adventure, it soon turns into a fight for survival. From the spring of 1904 to the spring of 1905 Jonathan must use his wits and courage to brave challenges that will change him in one year from a boy into a young man.