Aggie Mae Vaughn is twelve years old in 1866, and she lives in the Asylum for Homeless Waifs in New York City. Aggie hates being called a waif. And she hates the Asylum, where it seems as if she's always in trouble.<p>Now she's going west on the orphan train, and she doesn't know what to expect. What is it like to be part of a real family? Will she be treated like a daughter, or like a worker? And most of all -- will anyone want her?