entwined with family loyalty and a young girl’s courage. The opening of the story introduces Erica atop her aunt’s house in October, boldly cutting her hair short and dreaming of the ocean, while her cousins—twins Lister and Tommy—debate which will ship out as a cabin boy. After Tommy wins the chance, Erica entrusts him with a jade seal from her Chinese “godfather,” Sun Li; but a moonlit rescue on the wharf leaves Tommy with a broken leg, and Lister takes the berth instead. Visits with a genial Quaker captain, preparations for the voyage, and Lister’s departure give way to a wintry Christmas season—and the arrival of two orphaned cousins, sullen Milly and sunny little Barbee, who unsettle the household. Through the winter Milly keeps apart while Barbee charms everyone, and the family anxiously awaits the clipper’s return. Then the captain comes back without Lister: the boy vanished in Canton, and Sun Li—revealed as a powerful official—promises a thorough search and swift justice. Erica and Tommy must help break the news to Lister’s mother, and in that moment Milly shows unexpected tenderness. (This is an automatically generated summary.)