Brookhaven Plot Summary

Four children plunge into an uncertain and threatening world as they at last break away from Brookhaven—a supposed reform shelter in 18th century England for orphaned children. With little more than a few scant belongings, and a distant promise of work in a progressive new hospital; the four youth desperately make their way through the dense woodlands—with merely a crude compass and the course of a small stream to guide them. 

Fleeing enraged pursuers, and confronting the constant challenges of hunger, injury, and injustice—the exhausted youth not only contend among themselves, but are struck with the backlash of cruelties previously inflicted upon them. 

Despite these terrors, the children are aided by kind strangers, and encouraged as they gain deeper insight from their past, then strive to move forward in the aftermath of loss and abuse. Yet, one of the very strangers who first helped them, sadly betrays this newfound trust. The youth must now rely on one another more than ever to find strength—so that their pained efforts will at last come to fruition.

Brookhaven is an account of the pioneering spirit and the sloughing off of myopic mindsets. Ultimately, it is a story about a journey that reaches toward courage, renewal, and unconditional love.