September 1814: The War of 1812 is not going well for the United States and in upstate New York, the village of Plattsburgh is readying for a British invasion. Hiram Walworth sees his mother and sisters sent to safety, and knows that his father has joined the militia. General Macomb has too few men to hold off 10,000 British soldiers and needs all the help he can find. The boys of the Plattsburgh Academy, including Hiram, age 14, want to fight, but they cannot enlist. They go to General Macomb and he gives them an option: find a sponsor and he will muster them in to fight against the British. The boys find a sponsor, become Aiken's Volunteer Rifle Company, and successfully fight the British. And in fighting the British, Hiram grows from a boy to a man. This novel is based on actual events of September 1814.