Kjelgaard's subject is the little-known Camel Corps that did so much to open up our great Southwest. In particular, it is the thrilling tale of Hadji Ali (Americanized into Hi Jolly), the fugitive young Syrian camel driver who sought refuge in America with his loyal companion, Ben Akbar, the magnificent riding camel, to help survey a wagon road across the desert land between Fort Defiance and the California border, bridging the final gap in a transcontinental highway.