It was 1850, and fourteen-year-old Johnny James, an orphan on the streets of Boston, decided to go to the goldfields of California and leave the desperation of the slums behind. He'd heard the stories told in the saloons about the forty-niners who'd gone there and struck it rich and determined he could as well. Along the way, Johnny picked up Jasper, another orphan, to go with him. Jasper brought his best friend, Billy, whose father was a drunk and didn't want him, along with them. It was Joshua, who tried to steal some of their food late one night, and because he was hungry and desperate, a runaway from his own home, the three boys fed him. All three knew what it was like to be without hope, and when Joshua begged to go to the goldfields with them, they let him. The boys were lucky enough to join a wagon train led by the legendary mountain man, Bearcat Bob. He took them on as scouts because they were a scrappy bunch, and he could see they would be useful, even though they were greenhorns. Along the way, the four boys met mountain men who were former cohorts of Bearcat Bob's. Mean Badger Bill was aptly named. Cherokee Jim had a penchant for cheating people, but Jim Bridger was a stand-up man, much like the prospectors, Old Henry, and Big River Ben, whom they would encounter once in the goldfields. It was a dangerous journey across the Great Plains, but Jasper was the only scout to be captured by Indians. Bearcat Bob traded coffee and a few pots and pans to get him back and threw a small feast for the five Cheyenne scouts who'd taken Jasper for just that purpose. Bearcat Bob knew the sign language of the Plains Indians and was already friends with many of the tribes, to the welfare of the travelers who had trusted their care to him. After reaching the Willamette Valley in the Oregon Territory, the four boys struck out south for the Sacramento Valley, where gold had been found at Sutter's Mill. They had no idea what they were getting into.