the bower family band petitions the democratic national committee to sing a rally song for president grover cleveland at the party's 1888 convention. on the urging of joe carder, a journalist and suitor to eldest bower daughter alice, the family decides instead to move to the dakota territory. there, grandpa bower, a staunch democrat, causes trouble with his pro-cleveland sentiments. the dakota residents are overwhelmingly republican, and hope to get the territory admitted as two states (north and south dakota) rather than one (so as to send four republican senators to washington rather than two). grandpa's actions result in family strife, including nearly costing alice her position as the town's new school teacher. the budding romance between joe and alice also suffers. in the end, more ballots are cast for cleveland, but republican nominee benjamin harrison nonetheless wins the electoral college vote, and the presidency. before he leaves office, cleveland grants statehood to both the two dakotas, along with montana, and washington, evening the gains for both parties. the dakotans, particularly the feuding young couple, resolve to live together in peace.