This is a fictional verse-story of Ann Gallagher, also known as Dill, jailed in 1850s Ireland-just one little girl trying to make her way in the world even as the evils of famine, nationalism, and anti-Catholicism conspire to test her courage and restrain her from finding her true Irish roots. She is jailed for the crime of stealing a parsnip. In Kilmainham Gaol she meets Tommy, a boy who will eventually be exiled to Australia, and Róisín, a female pirate, and Mary, a pregnant teen. Although Dill and these others are fictional characters, their experiences accurately reflect those of far too many people who suffered through similar ordeals. The stunning lyricism of the poems in this book make their situation all the more poignant.