How would you feel if where you lived became a war zone and you had to leave everything that you know? Growing up in Saigon, Ha is used to being the smart girl with luxuries not afforded by many, even during the Vietnam war.Given the opportunity, her mother gets herself, Ha and her three sons aboard a ship to safety. Not knowing how long they will be aboard or where they will end up, only knowing that they will be safe. The five end up in America, safe until they have to face the perils of learning a new language and new cultures. This story is told in verse, through the eyes of ten year old Ha and chronicles the trials & tribulations of being a new person in an even stranger land.