The Verbeeks leave post-war Holland bound for a better life, but images of war haunt them, and in Canada they face huge challenges. Anneke, a city kid, is convinced she's going to the Wild West and will have her own horse. She's thrilled to explore their ship and turns learning English into a game. Once a teenager, she's steeped in the culture of Marilyn Monroe, goes out in cars with boys, and tells her mother haughtily, "They do things differently here!"