An award-winning author brings the story of one American girl to life.
In the autumn of 1871, fourteen-year-old Pringle Rose learns that her parents have been killed in a terrible carriage accident. After her uncle Edward and his awful wife, Adeline, move into the Pringle family's home - making life for her and her younger brother, Gideon, unbearable - Pringle runs away with Gideon to Chicago, seeking refuge from the tragedy, and hoping to start a new life. But soon, one of the greatest disasters this country has ever known - the Great Fire of Chicago - flares up, and Pringle is on the run for her life.