Susannah McKay is orphaned and penniless when a Chinese man offers her a job as a governess. Susannah is thrilled, because in Hong Kong in the 1880s, it’s not so easy for a girl to get work. As impulsive and adventurous as she is, Susannah is nevertheless dumbfounded when she finds herself aboard a spaceship, employed by creatures who look alarmingly like snails.  Drawing on the strength inherited from her snobby English mother and the gambling spirit of her Irish father, Susannah faces her challenges with spirit and humor. She finds those traits are not enough, however, when she is accused of a crime. Susannah has to discover her own strengths and overcome her prejudices  to save herself.