"April 1863: Twelve-year-old Danny O'Carolan arrives in New York City with nothing but his father's songs, his brothers' dancing steps, and his only remaining relative-his older sister, Kathleen. Driven from their home in Ireland, they must find work or they'll end up at the dreaded orphan's asylum. But there's no steady work for boys, except joining the Union Army as a drummer. So Kathleen finds a job in domestic service for herself and her younger...sister. Danny reluctantly pretends to be a girl to avoid the workhouse and the battlefield. But when he's not doing the backbreaking work of a housemaid, he sneaks off without his disguise. Roaming the streets of New York, he discovers how many different kinds of people live in its neighborhoods. Irish, German, and Italian immigrants, as well as free Black people. All poor. All competing for the same jobs. All softened, Danny finds, by a song and bit of footwork. But the draft is on the horizon, threatening to force more Irishmen into the army. As tensions threaten to spill over into violence, how can Danny-the last bearer of the O'Carolan name-stay true to his family's legacy and find a safe place to call home?" --