The train is filled with dozens of other children who have lost their families in one way or another; they are now hoping that their journey will connect them with new parents and a new, better life. Kline's book is fictional, but it's based on the very true history of thousands of children shipped to the Midwest.

Therefore, he arranged to send the orphaned children to pioneer families. The Orphan Trains and the practice of “placing children out” into homes that would accept them was the precursor to the modern foster care system in the United States. A quarter million children rode the orphan trains from 1854 to 1929.

The children were being sold and used like slaves. Placing organizations did not care what happened to children after they were placed, and did not check in on them to make sure they were properly cared for.

It's the story of two women who build an unexpected friendship: a 91-year-old woman with a hidden past as an orphan-train rider and a troubled teen with one last chance at redemption.