Nellie O'Malley finally has a home again. She and her little sisters, Bridget and Jenny, are happily settling in with Samantha's family in New York City ..."

As her tenth birthday approaches, Felicity is excited by her grandfather's visit, but she is also concerned about the growing tensions between the colonists and the British governor in Williamsburg.

"Felicity loves riding horses far more than stitchery or serving tea. When she falls in love with a beautiful chestnut mare, she schemes to save the mare from its cruel owner with the help of Ben, her father's young apprentice. Yet as talk of revolution rumbles around her, Felicity finds it harder to tell right from wrong. Ben wants war, while her best friend's family remains loyal to the king. Then Felicity receives an invitation to the Governor's...

"When Felicity overhears a plot against the colonists, no one believes her but Ben, her father's apprentice. So the two risk great danger to warn the colonists themselves. Soon afterward, Felicity finds a secret note from Ben. He has run away to join George Washington's army, and he is injured. Felicity is worried about him but knows it would be wrong to help a runaway apprentice. Then she is turned away from the door of her best friend, Elizabeth....

When Kit's family has to take in boarders, it seems as if they may be able to keep their house although her father lost his business, but the changes put a strain on Kit's friendship with Ruthie, especially as Kit spends her days helping cranky Uncle Hendrick.