In the previous spring and summer of 1849, these families worked hard to till the soil and plant crops, facing numerous challenges such as a late frost, drought, and a plague of crickets that threatened to destroy their harvest. However, flocks of seagulls saved enough of the crop to enable the settlers to survive the coming winter of 1849-1850. Trade with sojourners brought prosperity to the locals, although agriculture continued as the mainstay.

As the settlers work together to cultivate their land, a mysterious illness begins to spread through the community. People fall ill and struggle to recover, putting a strain on the settlement's resources and testing their unity.