A young boy runs away and is soon floating down the great Mississippi River on a raft. With him is Jim, a Black slave who is also running away but life is not always so easy for the two friends. Includes activities at the end of the story.

"When Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley leave school, their feet are set on very different paths. Kind, foolish Amelia returns to her comfortable home and wealthy family, to await a suitable marriage, while Becky must look out for herself, earning her own living in a hard world. But Becky is neither kind nor foolish, and with her quick brain and keen eye for a chance, her fortunes soon rise, while Amelia's fall. Greed, ambition, loyalty, folly, wisdom...