"While Caroline is out fishing one spring day, she sees a British warship about to capture an American boat. With only an instant to decide what to do, Caroline takes a daring risk to try to save the day. She's been trying to be brave, like she promised Papa, but would he be proud of her now? Missing him terribly, Caroline visits their special fishing spot on the shore of Lake Ontario. She hopes to find comfort there-- but instead she makes a startling...

Caroline and her mother make a dangerous trip across Lake Ontario to the British fort where her father is a prisoner. When Mama isn't allowed to see Papa, it's up to Caroline to deliver a secret message to him--right under the nose of a British guard.

When her father is taken prisoner by the British, Caroline Abbott, a young girl living during the War of 1812, tries to help her family run their shipyard.

Caroline worries that British spies may be lurking in Sackets Harbor, but when strange things start happening at Abbott's Shipyard Caroline wonders if a spy, either someone she has known all her life or Papa's long-lost friend, is responsible.