In this volume, Lass tells the story of Minnesota from its beginnings to the present. A dominant theme is the adaptation of people to Minnesota's often harsh environment that includes long and brutally cold winters. Lass relates the persistence and change in the traditional frontier businesses in the twentieth century and recent developments in Minnesota society, including rapidly increasing metropolitanism, environmental concerns, and the conservative resurgence in politics.

Minnesota's somewhat unique political history, which featured farm protest movements and the ultimate creation of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, is also discussed. This history not only provides descriptions of the essential events of Minnesota's past, but also offers an interpretation of major trends and characteristics of the state and its distinctiveness within the context of the nation's story.