A series of epistolary travel narratives follows a restless young man who abandons failed agricultural ventures to seek a new life in the American West. Early attempts at farming and a creamery give way to mountain ranching, long drives, and life in remote camps. The account moves from an ocean passage and eastern towns to rail journeys across the plains and the dramatic landscapes of the Rockies and Yellowstone. Hard labor, severe winters, wildlife encounters, and frontier characters illustrate the difficulties of roughing it, while practical observations and reflections on parent–child expectations and advice for would-be settlers are woven throughout.