This novel, written in diary form, tells of "a pivotal year for 19th-century New Englander Catherine Cabot Hill--one of change, loss, and leave taking . . . a low-key, intense and reflective book".--"School Library Journal", starred review. 1980 Newbery Award book.

Little Sarah wanders away from her family's cabin into the New Hampshire forest, and settlers come from all across the countryside to help find her. As the long days pass, the searchers grow desperate, but Sarah's father's trust in God holds firm.