Then I hear the whistle of the train, and the sound takes me back to the farm near Cornell, back to the winter of 1930... All his life, Blaine has dreamed of being somewhere else. Growing up on a farm during the lean years of the depression, he must be content to watch the trains thunder past his home, count the cars, and pray that one day he will escape his life of poverty. It isn't until World war Two that Blaine sees his chance. He lies about his age, volunteers, and is shipped off to England.

A brilliant coming-of-age novel by a master storyteller. In a novel with panoramic, historical sweep, a young boy's growth to manhood is recorded with warmth and insight. Through his memory, Monica Hughes offers an exceptionally evocative story.