Julie and her cousins set out on an old-fashioned wagon train to celebrate the Bicentennial, and Julie is unprepared for the challenges of prairie life, but when she and her cousins have a chance to make history, Julie rises to the challenge.
Julie is in school detention for passing a note to Joy, a deaf student who has trouble understanding what their teacher is saying. Indignant, Julie decides to run for student body president so she can make changes to the detention system.