In 1849 a twelve-year-old girl who calls herself Lucy is distraught when her mother moves the family from Massachusetts to a small California mining town at the height of the Gold Rush. There Lucy helps run a boarding house and looks for comfort in books while trying to find a way to return "home."

For a girl who loves books and quiet places, the wilds of the west are anything but home.

• A Headstrong Heroine: Twelve-year-old California Morning Whipple decides she’d much rather be called Lucy, and she’d much rather be in Massachusetts than anywhere else.
• Pioneer Life: Lucy finds herself running a boarding house for rough-and-tumble miners, far from the life of comfort and books she misses.
• A Rich Historical Setting: Experience the grit and grime of a California mining camp in 1849, from dusty streets and mule droppings to the constant hope of striking it rich.
• A Heartfelt Family Story: Caught between her mother’s dreams for the future and her own longing for the past, Lucy must figure out what "home" really means.