The Lonesome Train

Ella Smith is a stoic young woman who has lost more than most at the tender age of thirteen. Her mother passed when she was seven, leaving Ella to take on the roles and responsibilities of womanhood during World War I while living in rural Arkansas. She cooked and cleaned, kept the house, and took care of her siblings to the best of her ability.

Shortly after the loss of her mother, Ella was dealt another blow by fate: her baby brother, only a few weeks old, mysteriously disappeared. Later, her father married an abusive, angry woman, and the children suffered at her hand.

However, despite the times of hunger and cold, Ella can always see a light at the end of the tunnel. She and her family share laughs and tender moments, enough to warm the heart and inspire faith and hope.