In 1843, a former U.S. Senator leads a wagon train of settlers to Oregon, but his megalomania leads to growing dissatisfaction with his leadership.

In the mid nineteenth century, Senator William J. Tadlock leads a group of settlers overland in a quest to start a new settlement in the Western U.S. Tadlock is a highly principled and demanding taskmaster who is as hard on himself as he is on those who have joined his wagon train. He clashes with one of the new settlers, Lije Evans, who doesn't quite appreciate Tadlock's ways. Along the way, the families must face death and heartbreak and a sampling of frontier justice when one of them accidentally kills a young Indian boy.—garykmcd

Strongly motivated by the beautiful utopia he has been nurturing for so long, the autocratic U.S. Senator, William Tadlock, leaves the Congress to lead a wagon train of audacious pioneers from Missouri to the promised land of Oregon, in 1843. With the help of the experienced scout, Dick Summers, the slow and almost defenceless caravan of impatient settlers ventures into the long and rugged Oregon Trail, as martinet Tadlock's sacred rules and heightening self-involvement threaten to jeopardise the entire expedition. However, as leadership and conflict go hand-in-hand, the stern senator's leadership skills will be put to the test, when the horrid death of the Great Sioux Chief's young son demands justice. Can the visionary William Tadlock carry out the mission successfully?—Nick Riganas

Missouri 1843: Former U.S. Senator Tadlock and scout Summers lead a trek of settlers to Oregon, through more than one thousand five hundred fifty miles of mostly Indian territory. Tadlock drives his people mercilessly. When his ambition costs some people's lives, his ability is questioned.—Tom Zoerner <[email protected]>