He’d been homeless and an orphan for three years. He’d fought bullies, snow, prejudice and disease. Axel O’Grady’s life in the 1880’s on the streets of New York City hadn’t been easy, but he had his friend and partner Nate Greenleaf to sustain him. Now he was losing Nate the way he’d lost everyone and everything else in his life.

Eleven-year-old Axel had two choices once he was caught stealing a loaf of bread: go to jail or agree to take the orphan train to Iowa to be placed out with a family there. Either way, Axel would have to leave Nate, but Iowa sounded better than jail. Axel sadly told Nate good-bye and promised he would return to him as soon as he could. Keeping his word would be the hardest thing Axel ever had to do, but A Partner’s Promise can never be broken.