Extraordinary circumstances await a young farm hand from Missouri when he leaves behind all that he's ever known, and sets out for California's Sierra Nevada Mountain with gold fever and little else. Roughly two decades after the California Gold Rush, Nathan Clayburn arrives with his own ambitious vision. But he encounters a whole lot more than he bargained for. A beautiful young lady, vicious outlaws, and a perilous wilderness soon turn his quest for riches into a desperate struggle for survival, and give his incredible journey a completely new purpose.