Aggie Mae Vaughn is 12 years old in 1866, and she lives in the Asylum for Homeless Waifs in New York City. Aggie hates being called a waif almost as much as she hates the orphanage, where she's always in trouble.

Now she's going west on the orphan train, and she doesn't know what to expect. What is it like to live in a real home? Will she be treated like a daughter, or like a worker? And most of all--will anyone want her?