Determined to improve his struggling family's financial situation, sixteen-year-old Tom Wade leaves England in 1860 and sets out for the untamed wilderness of the American Far West. Arriving in the small western outpost of Denver, Colorado, to mine for gold, he soon encounters Native American warriors, takes part in big-game hunts, and learns how to survive a mountain winter with nothing but resourcefulness and perseverance.

 Young readers get valuable, exciting lessons in history from the "Prince of Storytellers," George Henty, in a grand adventure classic that weaves together the story of a teenage, fictional hero and real-life episodes of exploration.