The Outcasts of Poker Flat

Cast out by their town. Trapped by the storm. Judged by the choices they make when survival becomes impossible.

Poker Flat has decided to cleanse itself of every person its respectable citizens consider undesirable. Gambler John Oakhurst, the Duchess, Mother Shipton, and the drunken Uncle Billy are forced from the California mining settlement and sent into the mountains with little food and no shelter.

Along the trail, the exiles encounter the innocent young couple Tom Simson and Piney Woods. But before the travelers can reach safety, a violent snowstorm traps them in an isolated mountain cabin. Their supplies begin to disappear, the snow grows deeper, and hope of rescue fades with every passing day.

As starvation, cold, and betrayal threaten the group, the supposed outcasts reveal unexpected courage, compassion, and sacrifice. In the unforgiving wilderness, the labels imposed upon them by society begin to lose their meaning—and true character is revealed.

Set against the brutal landscape of the California Gold Rush, The Outcasts of Poker Flat is Bret Harte's enduring story of prejudice, survival, redemption, and humanity found in the most unlikely people.

Narrated by Jim Foster, this dramatic Western classic brings the danger, tragedy, and quiet heroism of Poker Flat vividly to life.