Based on the posthumously published essay Fifteen Days in the Wilderness by French diplomat and philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville, this tells the story of a side trip he took during the great nine-month American tour in 1831 that resulted in his classic, Democracy in America. He and his friend Gustave de Beaumont travel to the Great Lakes region, searching for the fringe of Western civilization. From predicting the Native Americans' decline to witnessing frenetic growth and development, he paints a portrait of pioneer America.