When famine threatens a small fishing village in Norway, seventeen-year-old Lars is delegated to take his youngest brother Torvald with him to America, to live with Uncle Anders in Dakota Territory. The story is told by a descendant of Lars, who chronicles the adventures and misadventures of the boys and their friends and neighbors, including the story of Hans, an odd but lovable draft horse. The tales go on to include often-humorous accounts of courtship and marriage, as the boys grow into men.