In the autumn of 1621, the small settlement at Plymouth Colony prepared to celebrate a successful harvest. Only a year earlier, the settlers had arrived weak and uncertain after a long journey across the Atlantic, unsure of what the future would hold for them.

The months leading to this moment had been filled with hardship and loss. The first winter brought freezing temperatures, widespread illness, and inadequate shelter. About half of the Mayflower passengers did not survive, and those who remained carried their grief forward while continuing the difficult work of building a settlement.