Caddie Woodlawn loves adventure and she refuses to be a "lady". She'd rather hunt than sew, plow than bake, and she beats her brothers' dares every chance she gets. Caddie and her six brothers and sisters have many exciting experiences on the Wisconsin frontier of the 1860's—from a schoolhouse fire, to pranks played on a city-slicker cousin, to an amazing discovery in an old trunk. And when the Indians threaten to massacre the settlers, it is Caddie's courage and quick thinking that save her family and their neighbors.