In 1857, a group of pioneers from Arkansas heading for California were ambushed by a group of Native Americans and Mormons. It is estimated that nearly 140 men and women were massacred. Though his role in the massacre was not publicly known for decades after the attack, Mormon leader John D. Lee is believed to be one of the masterminds behind the violence. In this autobiography, Lee discusses his life before and after the so-called Mountain Meadow massacre.