It is 1900. The story follows the fortunes of two orphan train riders, a black southern man the two children rescue, and a young priest who has to find his own way into emotional adulthood. From the first train that Annette and Jonathan ride across the country to their adopters in Illinois farm country, to the final eruption into riot, fire, and murder in a coal mining town, dramatic tension sustains through alternating points of view. If you love psychological tension fused with plot action, this is the novel for you.