Zwischen Klapperschlangen und Indianern

USA in the 1870s: the Union Army has won the Civil War. Now, the War Department in Washington is sending young officers to the West to solve the "Indian problem." Their wives accompany them. Coming from good families, educated and pampered, they follow their husbands to the lonely outposts in Arizona, Colorado, or Texas. When 19-year-old Fanny Boyd follows her husband, cavalry officer Orsemus Boyd, to the West, she is unaware of the harsh life that awaits her there. The journey to Nevada already turns into a strenuous adventure. Upon finally arriving in the desolate prairie, she realizes that she will be living in an army tent for the next few months and will primarily be eating the usual soldier's fare: beans and bacon. Like every Army girl, she must quickly learn to adapt to her circumstances, whether it be dismal accommodations full of pests, endless treks through the desert, or the constant threat of hostile Indians. At first, Martha Summerhayes is horrified by the rough customs of the Wild West. Right upon her arrival, she encounters the most uncomfortable vehicle the army has to offer: the ambulance wagon. She will jolt many miles in it, from one outpost to the next. Although raised in a puritanical environment, Martha surprisingly learns to tolerate the much more relaxed moral standards in Arizona quite quickly. Frances Roe finds the perfect drill sergeant in her husband Fayette. After a short time, she proudly claims to be able to ride and shoot like a soldier. Otherwise, there is much she hates about Colorado: foul-smelling locals, black cavalry soldiers, and other officers' wives. She vents her frustration and anger in letters.