A readable tale with a colorful background develops from this story of early Dutch settlers. When Peter Van Tilt went to visit his cousin, Joanna, near Fort Orange, which is now Albany, he escaped with her from an Indian raid in which his aunt and uncle were killed and their baby boy captured. From then on Joanna lives with the Van Tilts in Bergen, and she and Peter have a fine time together and even discover the whereabouts of little Cornelis.