When Ireland is stricken by the potato famine, Sean and Annie, the only surviving children of the O'Brien family, set off to find their father in America. They are ill-equipped for such a hard and treacherous journey: a Dragoon's scarlet cloak, a shimmering moon-shawl and the golden necklace, entrusted to them by their sick mother, are their sole possessions. But Sean and Annie are not prepared to give up without a fight, and this epic story of courage and tenacity tells of their thrilling adventures as they travel from Cork to California.