The Kellys traveled across the Atlantic Ocean looking for relief from Ireland's potato famine and a better life in America. For years, everything went well, until Tom Kelly became ill and died, leaving his wife to support their young children. Although she tried desperately to find employment, Mrs. Kelly could not sufficiently support her children and eventually had no choice but to send them west on the Orphan Train. Join in the fascinating adventures of the Kelly children as they settle into their new lives with new families in the West.<p>Mike Kelly is far younger than the legal age of sixteen, and he dreams of fighting with the Union Army. Mike and his best friend, Todd, secretly train to become army drummer boys and join up with the Second Kansas Infantry. But Mike's dreams of glory end when he's wounded at the bloody Battle of Wilson's Creek and must begin a dangerous adventure that takes him behind enemy lines.