Twelve-year-old Adeline Mueller has to fight to make a place for herself when her family comes to Canada from Germany to join their father in their new life. Adeline hasn't seen her father for four years, but his letters promise a splendid new life and a house of their own. When they step off the train in Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan, the reality is very different. Home is a sod house in "Germantown," a squatter settlement on CPR land, and for a long time Adeline can't forgive her father for bringing her here. Life in her new home is definitely dramatic. Adeline experiences a tornado, a devastating fire, and relentless prejudice from Sarah, a girl in her class. But she also makes friends. Minna, a Germantown girl, shows her how to pick wild berries, and Henry, a boy with a physical disability, helps her get precious library books. By Christmas, Adeline has begun to like Canada, forgiven her father, and won respect from Sarah with her singing ability. Sarah considers setting aside her own ambitions to choose Adeline to sing the solo in the Christmas concert. Could this really happen?