Having lived in Virginia for six years since 1622, Katherine does not want to leave her family's tobacco plantation after learning of her betrothment to an English heir.
In 1836, on a cotton plantation in Alabama, twelve-year-old Elsy and her family endure the harsh realities of slavery and keep alive their family history by remembering their ancestors.
In 1893 in Buffalo, New York, thirteen-year-old Stefan helps his financially troubled Polish American family survive hard times by making and selling drawings.
After living in California for five years, Anh welcomes her cousin Lan, a Vietnamese refugee, and tries to help Lan come to terms with the terrible events in her past.
In 1615, a friar sent to Santa Fe by the Viceroy of New Spain meets a boy who shares his concern for the local Indians and who helps him determine the future of this small outpost town.
In 1942 in Florida, junior high school student Max does his bit to help the war effort at home while his father is fighting overseas for their fellow Jews.
