When Allie MacAllister’s best friend, Leaf Sweetwater, invites her to try on her buckskin dress, Allie couldn’t be happier. Until soldiers interrupt the girls’ fun and round up Leaf’s family, forcing them from their home and taking Allie with them. Together they are swept along the harsh Trail of Tears, and joined by thousands of other Cherokee families. As conditions on the trail grow more desperate every day, hope of rescue fades, and all that’s left is a grueling nightmare of prejudice and terror. Throughout the harrowing journey, Allie and Leaf share strength, hope, fear, and courage, forging a bond of sisterhood greater than any blood tie.