The year is 1850, and the gold rush is in full swing. August Wetterman, a nineteen-year-old student of the Swedish Royal Conservatory of Music, dreams of a successful career in gold-rich San Francisco: a lucrative spot for some of the world's greatest entertainers.

Along with five schoolmates, Wetterman successfully auditions for a job playing aboard a brand new sailing ship-one that will provide them with free passage 'round the Horn to California in exchange for their musical talents.

After impressing the captain "with three different kinds of instrumentations," the band and crew gear up for the adventure of their lives: an exciting year-long journey that will take them through rough seas, into foreign harbors, and even to the summer home of the British royal family before their final passage through the Golden Gate.

This one-of-a-kind account of life as a musician during the California Gold Rush is taken straight from the pages of Wetterman's journal. Through his status as one of the most successful musician-conductors of the day, his insightful entries display unparalleled access to some of the most defining moments of this unique period of American history.