Raised by her Grandpa in Pennsylvania, Jenny Pearson has her life torn away when he dies. Having sold his farm to clear his debts, the only remnant of his estate is an unopened letter from England in a faded envelope. With no known family, and thinking the letter might help her trace her relatives, she embarks on a transatlantic journey of discovery. Little does she realize that it will prove to be the key to a Pandora's Box of events, problems and injustices stretching back over two centuries, the ripples from which will reach out to the four continents.