Synopsis

During the mid-19th century, countless children wandered the streets of New York, driven by the desperate need for sustenance, shelter, and any available coin. In a bold and often debated undertaking to offer them a better future, over one hundred thousand of these "street Arabs" were transported by train to the Midwest between 1854 and 1929, destined for new lives within foster families. The recollections of those who rode the "Orphan Trains" are deeply affecting, and their vivid accounts conti