The year is 1843, and Lucy and her family are moving from Ohio to Oregon. Before they leave on their journey, Lucy’s uncle gives her a small dog, Finn, as a gift and to keep her company on her travels. Finn turns out to be quite a mischievous dog which gets lost and makes a lot of trouble. Meanwhile, Lucy’s mother is about to have a baby and is not feeling well. Lucy’s father has been strict lately because he’s been so worried about his wife. When Finn is left behind at the campsite, Lucy takes a big risk to run back all alone to find him. She encounters some Pawnees and is at first frightened, but they end up helping her catch up to the wagons again. When she returns, she finds out her mother and father are gone - her mother is about to give birth. Lucy is frightened for her mother and also afraid her father will find out what she did that day. This story is based on actual journals of pioneers who made the trek to Oregon in real life.