Eleven-year-old Marie, living on her family's farm in Iowa, learns to face and overcome Depression poverty, family problems, and her own childhood fears.
Whenever Jimmy visits his grandfather he asks to hear about how Great-great-great-grandfather Lars traveled with his family from Denmark to Minnesota and built a home that was the beginning of the town of New Hope.
Discusses the history, culture, and religion of the Danes, factors encouraging their emigration, and their acceptance as an ethnic group in North America.
Peter cherishes the watch his grandfather gives him before his family leaves Denmark for America, and even after losing the watch on the journey to Utah, he remembers its message.
Twelve-year-old Marie, living with her widowed mother, brothers, and younger sister on an Iowa farm during the Depression, tries to cope with the difficulties of growing up.
Describes the struggles and hard work of early Scandinavian immigrants to the United States largely settling in the midwest, and includes their traditions and famous Scandinavian Americans.