Mrs. Mike, the Story of Katherine Mary Flannigan by Benedict and Nancy Freedman is a traditional coming of age saga set in the wilderness of Alberta, Canada. Sixteen-year-old Katherine Mary O'Fallon travels via train from the civilization of Boston, Massachusetts to the wilds of the Great Northwestern Territory to visit her Uncle John in hopes that the cold and dry air will ease the painful symptoms of her pleurisy. She heads off on her journey with a blind courage, a sense of adventure, a desire to experience worldly events, an opinion of life as a fairy tale, and a young impressionability.