Includes bibliographical references (pages 379-436) and index.

Introduction: 1846 -- Prologue: Donner Lake, June 6, 1918 -- Call of the West -- A migrating people -- The best land under heaven -- Gray gold -- Snake heads -- California dreaming -- The bold plunge -- Wagons ho! April 1846 -- Farewell, April 14-15, 1846 -- Independence bound, April 15-May 10, 1846 -- The journey -- Queen city of the trails, May 10-12, 1846 -- Indian country, May 12-18, 1846 -- Soldier Creek, May 19, 1846 -- The others, May 20, 1846 -- People of the south wind, May 21-24, 1846 -- Alcove Spring, May 25-29, 1846 -- The rhetoric of fear, May 30-June 2, 1846 -- Ebb and flow, June 3-7, 1846 -- On the Platte, June 8-10, 1846 -- Life goes on, June 10-15, 1846 -- A letter from Tamzene Donner, June 16, 1846 -- The promised land -- Change of command, June 16-19, 1846 -- Chasing mirages, June 19-25, 1846 -- Sage advice, June 26-27, 1846 -- A sense of urgency, June 28-July 12, 1846 -- Parting of the ways, July 13-19, 1846 -- The Donner party, July 20-28, 1846 -- Betrayed, July 28-31, 1846 -- The Hastings cutoff, August 1-22, 1846 -- The fearful long drive, August 23-September 10, 1846 -- Race against time, September 11-October 4, 1846 -- Blood rage, October 5-20, 1846 -- Perseverance, October 21-30, 1846 -- Out of time -- Snowbound, November 1846 -- Desperate times, desperate measures, November-December 1846 -- The forlorn hope, December 1846 -- Camp of death, December 1846 -- The starving time, January 1847 -- In dire straits, January-February 1847 -- Man on a mission, January-February 1847 -- To the rescue, February 1847 -- The first relief -- The second relief -- The third relief -- The fourth relief -- Aftermath.