' Completely charming' Imogen Hermes Gowar author of The Mermaid & Mrs Hancock In a nation divided by prejudice everyone must take a side When young seamstress May Bedloe is left alone & penniless on the shore of the Ohio she finds work on the famous floating theatre that plies its trade along the river Her creativity & needlework skills quickly become invaluable & she settles in to life among the colourful troupe of actors She finds friends & possibly the promise of more But cruising the border between the Confederate South & the 'free' North is fraught with danger For the sake of a debt that must be repaid May is compelled to transport secret passengers under cover of darkness across the river & on along the underground railroad But as May's secrets become harder to keep she learns she must endanger those now dear to her & to save the lives of others she must risk her own A gloriously involving & powerful read for fans of Gone With The Wind & Tracy Chevalier's The Last Runaway