It is the beginning of World War II, and Willi Reinhard is terrified. He is a native German and served as an apprentice on a German merchant ship. Willi has no desire to serve his country in a devastating war, but when the Canadian navy captures the ship, he is imprisoned anyway. The guards at Fort Henry in Kingston, Ontario, see Willi only as an enemy alien. They don't see him for the scared kid he really is.
Willi's luck only gets worse when a violent shipmate includes him in his escape attempt. Now, Willi is a wanted fugitive in the middle of a foreign land. How will he survive the cruel Canadian winter ahead?
In this young adult adventure, Willi embarks on a cross-country odyssey that puts him on a collision course with a very special young man. Tim O'Dowd is a teenager from Montreal who ends up saving Willi's life after he gets trapped on the ice. Tim isn't just an ordinary schoolboy. He has extraordinary powers. His act of courage inspires Willi to commit one of his own, and it might finally turn his luck around for the better.
