New York City, 1871. Fourteen-year-old Dane Weston comes home to an empty apartment. A gang of teenage boys has murdered his family, shattering his dream of becoming a doctor. Driven to the streets with other homeless waifs, Dane's new occupation is begging for food. Worse things await--misunderstandings, imprisonment, and separation from his pretty orphan friend, Tharyn. The gentle breezes of the country seem worlds away, but still they sigh the poor boy's name.