When Pen's mother dies and har home is taken away from her, Pen ventures alone to London. With only a few pieces of clothing and a large supply of determination, she sets out to find a life for herself in the big city.

But London in 1627 is no place for a country girl on her own. So Pen is glad when a band of orphans takes her in, but the security of friends and shelter doesn't last long. Every day orphans faced the threat of being kidnapped and sent against thier will to Virginia to work as indentured servents. Soon Pen and her friends are captured and thrown in a foul, rat-infested pit of a jail. Then one day Pen is shackled and sent on a crowded ship to the colonies. What future awaits her in this strange new plce called Virginia.

Award-winning author Sandra Forrester has written a compelling account of one girl's struggle for freedom in a harsh system that left little hope for orphans. Readers will root for Pen, a strong, truly, likeable character with nothing to lose and everything to gain.