At the turn of the century, Dr. Thomas Barnardo, an English philanthropist, sought to give orphaned and abandoned children a second chance in the New World. These children — “Home Children” as they were called — came to work in Canada as farm labourers and domestic servants. Victoria Cope’s family takes in a Home Child, a sad and quiet girl named Mary Anna. Victoria soon discovers the reason for Mary Anna’s silence — she was separated from her younger brother. Victoria vows to help Mary Anna find her brother. As Victoria confides her hopes and fears to her “Dear Diary,” she reveals herself as a born writer.