In 1905, eleven-year-old Tess Douglas respects her elders and behaves like a proper young lady, caught between her idyllic childhood and the prospect of growing up in an unforgiving world as war and hopelessness tear her family apart. A mysterious telegram compels her mother to drag Tess from Vancouver, the only home she has known, to Dawson City, a strange city created in the middle of nowhere by the Klondike gold rush. Tess refuses to accept her new home until an eccentric friend draws her into a freedom she had not thought possible. As Tess discovers mystery, murder, and intrigue, she must face her darkest fear and confront the menace before her family is destroyed forever.

A timeless story for all ages about a young girl facing love, loss, and choices that will change her life.

In her latest novel, T. A. Leinemann writes about family and friendship, universal themes, whether they take place in the past, present or future.