The Journey of Natty Gann

In 1935, teenage tomboy Natty Gann lives in Chicago with her unemployed widowed father, Sol. After being out of work because of the Great Depression, Sol applies for work as a lumberjack in Washington. Unable to find Natty before departing, he leaves her a letter promising to send her the fare to join him as soon as he has earned it. Overhearing Connie, the shallow and insensitive innkeeper, report Natty as an abandoned child, she runs away to find her father on her own, embarking on a cross-country journey riding the rails along with other penniless travelers and hobos.