At first, 13-year-old Hattie and her family find the wagon train adventue exciting, but as time passes, death, disease, weather, and the terrain make it a tedious and dangerous trip. Through Hattie's diary, the rigors - and the joys - of this fascinating era in history are deftly chronicled.

Through diary entries, 11-year-old Abby Stewart, whose family lives near Valley Forge, records what it must have been like to live among the soldiers, along with the myriad emotions that a young girl might have had toward them and the war. This realistic look at the Revolutionary War is rounded out with lengthy historical notes, as well as an epilogue that reveals the fates of these fictional characters.