...Peering ahead, Katie saw a light shining through the darkness. It was a lantern set in a window. She recognized the house from which that beacon shone; they were almost home...Born into a world torn by the politics of slavery and civil war, Katie Galloway is dragged back and forth between her mother's fruitless world of high society and the lonely life of her father's Texas ranch. As the South struggles to rebuild itself Katie searches for hope, truth, and a place to call 'home'. Along the way she wrangles cattle, founds a school, loses her family, saves a man's life, and survives the worst small pox epidemic the world has known; all by the age of sixteen. Just as it seems that Katie has found her way, a series of tragic events hurls her into desperate circumstances. Katie's story is a powerful testament of family, human rights, and tenacity. Will she finally find the home she's been searching for? Join Katie for the adventure of her life.