When war erupts between England and America in 1812, it brings change and uncertainty to Michagan's remote Mackinac Island. For young Mary O'Shea, the hardest change is the departure of her father, who leaves Mackinac to join the Ameircan Army in Detroit. With her sister and brother, Mary must tend the farm, deal with the hardships of British occupation, and hope for the day when peace--and her father--will return.