Summer 1846.
Thirteen-year-old Tess is content to lead a quiet life on a small farm in the Netherlands. She has a loving family, a horse named Samson, and a large circle of friends. And now, she's finally old enough to help sell cheese at her family's market booth! Market means a break from daily chores and a chance to spend time with family and friends from town.
But trouble is brewing. The state church has strayed from the precious truths of the Bible. When Tess' family decides to attend a new free Reformed church in a neighboring village rather than the local state church, city leaders lash out in anger. Former customers refuse to buy the family's cheese. Neighbors threaten to make their life impossible, and Tess' friends
are forbidden from visiting her at market.
Now Tess must find new ways to support her family while also struggling to keep her friends. With courage, determination, and the aid of a mysterious widow, she dares to dream of a brighter future. But as opposition to the free churches intensifies, Tess will have to face hard questions-about faith, friendship, and even the possibility of leaving everything she's ever known for life in faraway America.