This story is narrated by Jacob, the son of a Minotaur called Asterion and a human woman, Velina. The family, which includes younger twin girls Maisy and Dotes, live on a leased farm in what seems to be the 1840s during the Westward Migration in America.

At the start of the story, Velina is reading an almanac which details the promise of the West, with open green fields and land for the taking. This appeals to Asterion, who resents working a leased farm near a lunatic asylum and dreams of green pastures on which to graze, as he is half-bull. He previously worked in the rodeo before retiring.

At first, Velina protests, causing Asterion to paw the ground and ask her when she stopped dreaming of something better. He promises to pull the wagon himself and that the family will learn how to survive on the Trail. Jacob is startled at how “a minute ago, there had been an opened book, a crazy notion—we could go, or we could stay—and now, not five minutes later, the book was shut. We were going. Simple as that” (107).

After a month on the Trail, the family struggles to find water and food, which they beg from the other wagons that travel with them.