Even though it is now 1901, the people of Buxton, Canada (originally a settlement of runaway slaves) and Chatham, Canada are still haunted by two events of half a century before--the American Civil War, and the Irish potato famine, and the lasting damage those events caused to the survivors.

Twelve-year-old Trevor Firestone loves playing war-based video games and he idolizes his great-grandfather Jacob who came home from World War II a celebrated hero; now ninety-three Jacob wants to retrace his journey in memory and reality and return to the small French village that his unit liberated, and Trevor is going with him--but not everyone in the town want Jacob to come, and Trevor is going to learn an important lesson: real war is not a video...

In 1932, twelve-year-old Cal must stop being a hobo with his father and go to a Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding school, where he begins learning about his history and heritage as a Creek Indian. --

Thirteen-year-old Sammy meets a mysterious man who dies of a heart attack after telling her to get rid of the large amount of money he is carrying, leading her to investigate who the man was and how he came to be carrying so much cash.

In Annapolis, Maryland, seventh-grader Wes is a good teammate but this basketball season has been challenging because of his ball hog teammate Dinero, who is determined to steal the spotlight, and Wes's army veteran father who is suffering from PTSD.

When Marco attends a Memorial Day parade, he is surprised to see a familiar face among the veterans.

When twelve-year-old Lyndie and her parents must move to her grandparents' home in small-town Tennessee in 1985, having to keep all family problems private only adds to their problems.--

After thirteen-year-old Cody and his father, an undercover agent, are nearly killed, Cody moves in with his aunt in Connecticut, where he is helped with his adjustment to the trials of attending public school for the first time and investigating a threat in nearby woods by a wounded Iraq War veteran.

Fifteen-year-old Angela, distraught over her mother and stepfather's separation, confides in a statue of St. Felix that suddenly seems to come alive, after which she befriends Jesse, a nineteen-year-old disabled veteran, although Felix, her family, and friends warn her to be wary of him.

In his old age, Grandpa has become confused. He believes he is back in World War II, when he was an RAF Spitfire pilot. Only one person can understand him: his grandson, Jack. When Grandpa is sent to Twilight Towers -- an old folk's home run by the sinister Matron Swine -- it's up to Jack and Grandpa to plot a daring escape. Little do they know the wicked matron is on to them...