Firmitas, the second book in the Pocket Full of Seeds Trilogy, continues the saga of Horace and Fredericka and their flight to freedom along the Oregon Trail. They must persevere across brutal terrain rife with imposters, slavers, horse thieves, and eccentric travel partners to reach the boiling cascades of the Columbia River. Meanwhile, a young San Francisco comes to life and an unproven "shortcut" through the Sierra Nevada Mountains tests endurance beyond imagination.