It is 1846 when twelve-year-old street urchin Ian Walsh and his eleven-year-old drummer friend Danny Higgins decide to abandon their hardships and travel from Ireland to America. With hopes of landing jobs building a railroad in California and finding the lost cities of gold, Ian and Danny board a cargo ship bound for New York. As the ship sets sail on the sea, Danny-affectionately nicknamed "Smiles" by the crew-is happier than he has ever been. Once Ian finds his sea legs, he contentedly spends his days perched at the bow of the ship writing in his diary. After a twenty-three-day journey...

It is 1846 when twelve-year-old street urchin Ian Walsh and his eleven-year-old drummer friend Danny Higgins decide to abandon their hardships and travel from Ireland to America. With hopes of landing jobs building a railroad in California and finding the lost cities of gold, Ian and Danny board a cargo ship bound for New York. As the ship sets sail on the sea, Danny-affectionately nicknamed "Smiles" by the crew-is happier than he has ever been. Once Ian finds his sea legs, he contentedly spends his days perched at the bow of the ship writing in his diary. After a twenty-three-day journey...