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In 1729, Blair is a fifteen-year-old Ulster-Scot living in Ireland under the crushing weight of famine, poverty, and prejudice. In search of a better life, he commits to a four years term as an indentured servant in Philadelphia in the American colonies. In London, ten-year-old orphan and pickpocket Mallie is arrested for stealing a handkerchief. After a horrifying stay at Newgate prison, she is sentenced to indentured servitude in the American colonies. Once there, she is sold to a cruel tobacco planter for seven years. Eventually, Blair and Mallie’s paths cross when they are acquired by the same owner. The two escape together and head west as fugitives. This sweeping historical novel tells the story of their struggles, love and survival.
Indra Zuno was born in Mexico, where she enjoyed a successful career in theater and television. She has received numerous awards for her writing. As part of her preparation for this novel, she spent time in Northern Ireland, Pennsylvania and two weeks aboard a tall ship replica, washing decks and climbing masts. She read over one hundred books about white servitude, the Delaware Native tribe and Scots-Irish immigration. This is Indra’s debut novel.