Autumn of 1755 bestowed to the Leiningers world not only its rich beauties but also a rewarding harvest On this particular day the whole valley seemed to rejoice in the fullness of the seasonbut suddenly Barbara and Reginas peaceful frontier life is changed forever General Braddock and his army had been defeated and soon the Pennsylvania settlers would suffer the bloody effects of the French and Indian War On October 16 1755 a band of Indians led by Allegheny warriors stormed through Buffalo Valley burned the Leiningers log cabin and captured the sisters Few survived the Penns Creek Massacre and even fewer lived to tell the story Regina makes a promise to her older sister just before they are unwillingly separatedeach to endure different fates Barbara is taken deep into the wilderness but holds on to the hope that she will find her little sister Though she is adopted into the Indian tribe there is a longing deep inside that cannot be denied She must escapebut the penalty if caught is certain death No one expresses Barbaras apprehensions better than her own words written in 1759 If one could not believe that there is a God who helps and saves from death one had better let running away aloneThe extreme probability that the Indians would pursue and recapture us was two to one compared with the dim hope that perhaps we would get througheven if we did escape the Indians how would we ever succeed in passing through the wilderness unacquainted with a single path or trail