Two dozen teenagers and three teachers go back in time, dress as the pioneers did, and travel by wagon train on the Oregon Trail from Wyoming to Oregon. Along the way they meet a variety of other people, from topographical engineers mapping the West to gold seekers headed to California, and Indians wanting to trade. The interactions of the students in the film mirror those experienced by the thousands of people who crossed the country in the mid-1800s that helped create the nation as we know it today. The kinds of hardships and problems encountered by the kids are the same as those encountered by the pioneers.