In 1815, the McClures sail their flatboat from Pittsburgh down the Ohio River and settle in what would later become Indiana.

Ben and his friends are determined to find out where the paper lanterns of the annual Autumn Equinox Festival go, so they follow the river as far as they can until the only followers left are Ben and Nathaniel.

A story for adventurers aged four to one hundred and four. As Fisherman Fred prepares for his boat trip, he is determined to prove to his four daughters that he can thrive after the loss of his wife-their mother-Millie. As his travels take him further down the Merrimack River, the stakes quickly become higher than he ever imagined.