The book covers a period of time between September 1926 and May 1927, and is divided into two sections: "The Craft" and "New York to Paris". In the first section, "The Craft" (pp. 3–178), Lindbergh describes the latter days of his career as an airmail pilot and presents his account of conceiving, planning, and executing the building of the "Spirit of St. Louis" aircraft. He describes the many challenges he faced, including getting financial backing, constructing an aircraft that could carry the necessary fuel and still fly, and completing the project within several months—other pilots were racing to achieve the first solo trans-Atlantic flight and win the $25,000 Orteig Prize.