Spring floods, outlaws roaming the Willamette Valley, and men with clubs looking to pound his head will not stop Ezekiel Hawthorne from striving for statehood for his beloved Oregon. Young Hiram takes on a gang of outlaws and Travis enjoys the best Christmas party he's ever thrown. Moose invites a young lady to spend the rest of her days in his lodge and feisty little Barbara, with the help of a shotgun, tangles with outlaws. Every journey has a beginning and an end, but statehood is yet another beginning. Zeke is hurt, worn out, and enthralled as 1858 finds another star added to that magnificent starred and striped banner, and he can retire in peace and honor.