Depicting an orphan's life at the beginning of the twentieth century, the story of eleven-year-old Emily Hasbrouck tells of life at the Austen Home for Orphaned Girls where tragedy leads to the triumph of courage and honesty.
Emily Hasbrouck saw her 11-year-old friend die, and she knows the people responsible. But nobody will believe her because she is an orphan living on the goodwill of the townspeople, while the girls she accuses are the daughters of the richest men in town. Emily is determined to speak the truth. She refuses to let her friend's death be called an accident, even if it means she'll be sent to live in a poorhouse. Reaching out to Emily are a few people who believe her, and with their help Emily must tell--in front of the powerful men who want to send her away--what really happened.