Maggie O’Halloran gazes up at the Statue of Liberty, her eyes wide with wonder. “We’ve made it,” she breathes. “This is where our future begins…”

New York City, 1891: When Maggie O’Halloran and her brother, Danny, travel from Ireland to the city of dreams, they are filled with hope for this brave new world. But when their father doesn’t meet them at the docks as planned, Maggie realizes how utterly alone they truly are—homeless, penniless and without a friend in the world.

Life on the Lower East Side is hard and grindingly poor. But as Maggie explores this magnificent and bustling city, gazing into the windows of Manhattan’s famous department stores, she starts to dream of opening her own millinery shop and becoming an independent woman at last. And when she meets fellow Irishman Brendan O’Donoghue, who offers her and Danny help, his gentle kindness and warm hazel eyes make Maggie feel safe for the first time…

Soon, Maggie finds employment with a wealthy family on the Upper East Side, and her dreams finally feel as if they are within grasp. But just as her fortunes are set to change, her brother’s involvement with a notorious New York gang brings terrible danger to both her and Brendan’s doors. Can Maggie escape disaster, protect her brother and save her precious dreams?