orphan

The night was quiet, contrasting sharply with the vibrant, jumpy thoughts of Bud, a 10-year-old African-American boy living during the Great Depression. Since leaving the harsh confines of a Flint, Michigan, orphanage, and being further tormented by the Amoses family, Bud was constantly on the move. Armed with a battered suitcase filled with his most prized possessions, and memories of his deceased mother, Bud was on a mission to discover his true identity.

The sun was setting beyond the apple trees of the St. Cloud's Orphanage, painting the sky with shades of amber and crimson. Evelyn, one of the few women who had remained after the age of the doctor, was sitting on the steps of the cider house, her wrinkled hands holding a worn-out photo of Dr. Wilbur Larch.