What happened at Donner Pass in 1846-47 is controversial to many, misunderstood by most. It is told from the perspective of one of the survivors, Virginia Reed, who was only twelve years old when she set out for California. The characters in this story existed, and the incidents described are documented in the diaries, letters and memoirs penned by those people. The Donner Party numbered 90 souls in all; 47 survived and 43 died.