Eleanor Baldwin is about to embark on a grand adventure. In a few weeks' time, she and her family will leave their small town of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and travel to Oregon to join her aunt and uncle. Eleanor can hardly contain her excitement, and the day finally arrives when they are to leave. On the train ride, her father becomes ill with the flu, and the family has to stay in St. Louis. Eleanor worries about Papa, especially when so many other people are becoming sick with what is called "influenza." But her father gets well, and the family sets off for Oregon once more.
Back on the train, Eleanor's mother realizes she left all their money in the hotel in St. Louis. What will they do now? The money was for their house, their food, and Eleanor's new pet goat Will Eleanor and her family be able to build a new life in Oregon?