Once there was a wilderness so vast, no white man had ever crossed it.  Then Lewis and Clark became the pathfinders for a nation, opening up a land of limitless possibilities that called with a siren's song to brave men looking for a dream . . . the first Holts.  In the heart of this majestic land, Clay Holt and his Sioux Wife, Shining Moon, lead a perilous expedition up the Yellowstone River.  While Clay and his band confront fierce storms and the plots of adversaries, brother Jeff Holt heads back East on a treacherous quest; impetuous young cousin Ned takes to the high seas; and in the East, Melissa Merrivale Holt struggles against the unscrupulous businessman to means to have her.  With the bravery and fighting spirit, the intrepid Holts battle on . . . to shape the destiny of a nation and to build and American dynasty.