This novel is historical fiction based around the legend that is Annie Moore, a teenager in the late 19th century who is said to be the first immigrant to pass through Ellis Island. Annie escapes the troubles in Ireland with her two brothers and travels aboard a ship to America. Her adventures inspired many and there is a song written in her honor, 'Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears', by Brendan Graham and Sean Keane. There are also statues of her in Ireland and New York harbor.
Annie herself was inspired by a Portuguese poet who visited Ireland, Emma Lazarus, some of whose poems are recounted in this book. Other poems are included that were written by the distinguished authors, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Robert Frost, who were Emma Lazarus' contemporaries. The author also recounts poems by other, predominantly, 19th century American poets such as Walt Whitman's 'Drum-Taps', amongst others.