Konrath : Booklocker.com : 9781958890868 : 1958890863 : 15 May 2024 : The Konrath family, poor German immigrants, cross the ocean and move into the Lower East Side tenements of New York City. Even the deplorable conditions there are better than the near starvation existence they had to endure in Europe. George works 12 hour days, 7 days a week for 7 cents an hour. while he struggles to learn English, so he can get a 3 cent an hour raise. A wealthy immigrant, Philippina, from the same Bavarian town as George, is caught in an arranged, loveless marriage. Lonely, she falls into friendships with Fifth Avenue abolitionists, who make trips to the bakery, an Underground Railroad station, with new clothes for those escaping enslavement. A friendship develops between George and Philippina, as she teaches him grammatically correct English. After the Fugitive Slave Act is passed in 1850, George is caught aiding an escaped enslaved man wearing Philippina's dress. During his imprisonment, George