October 1776...Twelve-year-old Abigail Smith disguises herself as a boy, steals a leaky rowboat, and sets out to join the American Fleet on Lake Champlain. She's desperate to find her uncle, her only living relative and her only hope for a real home. Young Pascal De Angelis is on board an American ship awaiting battle with the British when Abigail climbs aboard. When the British ships approach and the first shots are fired, Abigail and Pascal forge a fast friendship, see things no child should see, and grow up more quickly than either of them could have imagined.