Ida Jensen and her parents left the small town of Nakskov in Denmark in 1880. Life for the common working folk was very hard and Ida's parents were amongst the thousands that chose to immigrate to America on the promise of the chance to build their own homestead and make a new life.
They sail from Copenhagen on the steamship Thingvalla together with a lot of other hopeful Danes. On board, they meet and befriend an older couple, Anna and Rasmus. Conditions are tough down in the ship hold and when Rasmus dies, Anna decides to travel on togethers with the Jensens.
They eventually arrive in New York and then a long and eventful journey to North Dakota awaits them. They travel by train, stagecoach and wagon, always heading north-west and meeting new people along the way; some helpful, some not so much. Ida must learn a new language, new customs and in befriending a young Indian boy, discovers the New World is an exciting but sometimes confusing and dangerous place.
