10-year-old Ruth, her family and friends, live in Chinatown, Honolulu, in 1896. When her twin brother finds a mistreated cabin boy, a runaway from a sailing ship, the children hide him, prompting a series of misadventures. Readers will learn about Chinese and Japanese culture, the emotional pain of a physical disability, the thrill of riding a horse-drawn trolley, the fun of making a Chinese kite, coping with a demented grandmother, commerce with China, racial prejudice and cultural accommodation. With the aid of her artistic ability and a traveling Chinese opera, Ruth saves the cabin boy and earns the admiration of her taunting classmates--and her brother.