Following in the footsteps of European settlers, Michael Portillo rolls westwards across the United States. With true frontier spirit, he discovers the hidden pleasures of 19th-century railroad workers in Sedalia and discovers the birthplace of ragtime. Aboard a horse-drawn wagon in Independence, Michael confronts the hardships faced by early pioneers on the wagon trail. He's the only man in pink in Paola, Kansas, where he auctions livestock and dines out on smoky spare ribs. In St Joseph, Missouri, he discovers the Pony Express and gets kitted out with a stetson before investigating the treacherous death of outlaw Jesse James.