In 1778, George Washington's Army marches to the sound of the fife and drum. Cannons, cattle, sheep and baggage wagons follow the procession. Straggling behind are women and children including nine year-old Elijah. He follows because his Pa is a soldier. Elijah's Ma died when he was a baby, and he has nowhere else to go. Elijah longs for his home, and it is all he thinks about until a battle changes everything.