John Cook grew up in the late nineteenth century on the family farm in the American Midwest. The older he got, the more stories he heard about the world outside his family home. The more he heard, the more he realized he didn't want to spend his life in one place, working the same old soil his family had worked for generations. He wanted to seek out adventure. In order to do so, he would have to leave his home and family behind.
At the age of twenty-one, he does just that. He jumps the rails and rides all the way to California, where he hopes to find his future and make his fortune. Life is different in the old American West, though; rural life taught John to be tough, but it didn't teach him all he needs to know about the outside world. John is lucky to realize dreams and to discover a sense of purpose that he didn't even know he had.
From panning for gold to working as a lumberjack, John Cook strives to live life to the fullest. Based on a true story, A Farmer's Boy follows John as he travels the country and spends many years away from his family, intent on finding his own path to greatness. John seeks independence and livelihood, like so many other men of his generation living in a young nation filled with promise.