The story is told through letters written from 1854 to 1860. A widowed Ohio mother brings eight of her children to Kansas Territory and holds the family homesteads together during the Bleeding Kansas conflict. It's based on the author's own ancestor. The back of the book includes quilt patterns, family charts, maps, and a bibliography. It's a good fit for middle grade and teen readers, homeschool history units, quilters, and anyone interested in Kansas or pioneer history.