Chasing Secrets

Chasing Secrets Plot Summary

Introduction

In the gaslit streets of 1900 San Francisco, thirteen-year-old Lizzie Kennedy carries her father's medical bag through fog-shrouded alleys, where dead rats pile like omens in the shadows. The Pearl of the Pacific gleams with electric lights and grand mansions, but beneath its glittering surface, whispers of plague creep through Chinatown's narrow streets like smoke from burning incense. When their beloved cook Jing vanishes behind quarantine ropes and a mysterious boy appears in their attic, Lizzie discovers that the adult world is built on lies more dangerous than any disease. As the city's powerful men deny what their eyes can see, and doctors choose profit over truth, a young girl must navigate between two worlds—the privileged halls of Miss Barstow's School and the forbidden alleys of Chinatown—to save the people she loves.

Chapter 1: The Girl Who Chased Truth

Lizzie Kennedy sits alone at Miss Barstow's School for Young Women, where girls learn patience, proper calling card etiquette, and how to marry men of stature. While her classmates whisper about cotillion dresses and bicycle rides in Golden Gate Park, Lizzie reads about mucus production and dreams of accompanying her father on medical calls. Dr. Jules Kennedy treats patients whether they can pay or not, making house calls with his brown and black medical bags while wealthier families call upon Dr. Roumalade. Lizzie has found her place as Papa's assistant, learning to set broken bones and calm frightened patients. When she successfully helps deliver baby Thomas Jessen and sets young Caroline's fractured arm, she tastes the satisfaction of real purpose. But their comfortable world shifts when Jing, their Chinese cook who has cared for the Kennedy family since Lizzie was three, fails to return from a routine trip to market. Uncle Karl Sweeting, who owns their house and the evening Call newspaper, dismisses their concerns. Yet Lizzie notices the yellow smoke rising from Chinatown and the wooden barricades appearing around its borders. Something is terribly wrong in the city, and the adults are lying about it.

Chapter 2: Hidden in the Attic: Noah's Secret

The mysterious sounds from the servants' quarters lead Lizzie to an impossible discovery—a twelve-year-old Chinese boy living secretly in Jing's room. Noah Chen, Jing's son, has been hiding in their attic since before the quarantine began, surviving on scraps and silence. Noah reveals what the newspapers won't print: his father Jing serves as a translator and leader in Chinatown, not merely their cook. When whispers of plague began, Jing smuggled Noah out, fearing the boy would starve if the quarter was sealed off. Noah has been reading Darwin and Dostoevsky by candlelight, sewing buttonhole strips for five cents a dozen, and dreaming of college—dreams that seem impossible for a Chinese boy in 1900 America. Through their whispered conversations and messages tied to Orange Tom's collar, Lizzie learns that Noah calls Jing "Baba" and shares her loneliness. While she struggles to fit in at school, he remains invisible in a different way. Their friendship grows in stolen moments, built on shared books, magic tricks, and the simple hunger to be understood. But Noah's presence fills the house with dangerous secrets. If Aunt Hortense or Uncle Karl discover him, Jing could lose his position, and Noah could be sent back to face whatever horrors the quarantine might bring.

Chapter 3: Quarantine Lines and Broken Promises

The barricades around Chinatown become prison walls, patrolled by police who allow white people to pass freely while trapping Chinese residents inside. Lizzie watches from the quarantine line as crowds of Chinese men pace like caged animals, while donkey-pulled hearses carry away the dead. Her attempts to convince the police that Jing belongs with their family fail miserably. The officers dismiss her pleas, explaining that anyone inside the quarantine has been "exposed" and must remain trapped. Yet Lizzie sees the cruel logic at work—this quarantine has no doctors, no nurses, no medical supplies. It's imprisonment disguised as public health. Uncle Karl's newspaper conspiracy becomes clear as he admits to suppressing plague stories, leaving sensational coverage to rival publisher Hearst. The monkey that Dr. Kinyoun injected with plague bacteria from a dead Chinatown resident becomes the city's dark secret. If the monkey dies, it proves the plague has arrived. If it lives, the quarantine was unnecessary theater. Meanwhile, Billy Kennedy fights in illegal boxing matches to earn money for a motorcar, keeping his own dangerous secrets. The Kennedy family fractures under the weight of what they cannot say, while Noah remains hidden above their heads, growing more desperate as days pass without word from his father.

Chapter 4: Rescuing Jing: A Journey into Chinatown

When Billy finally agrees to help, they discover Donaldina Cameron, the "Angry Angel" who rescues Chinese girls from slavery. Through her network, they stage Jing's escape in women's clothing—a humiliating but necessary disguise that gets him past the police barriers. The rescue reveals the quarantine's arbitrary cruelty. Cameron's front door remains free while her back door falls within the quarantined zone, as if disease recognizes property lines. Jing emerges thin and shaken, carrying knowledge of the real horror: bodies hidden in barrels, death certificates falsified, and a plague outbreak that powerful men refuse to acknowledge. Lizzie's joy at Jing's return mingles with growing dread as she pieces together the truth. The rats weren't just dying randomly—they carried plague fleas that jumped to human hosts when their rodent carriers perished. The mysterious deaths, the covered-up symptoms, the desperate secrecy all point to one terrifying conclusion. But the adult world has chosen comfortable lies over dangerous truth. Even Papa dismisses the plague rumors, trusting the medical establishment's denials while immunizing only himself and Lizzie with precious Yersin antiserum.

Chapter 5: The Monkey's Death: Evidence Revealed

At a cotillion dance at the Palace Hotel, Lizzie learns from newspaper man Peter that Dr. Kinyoun's monkey has died. The proof everyone feared now exists—San Francisco has plague. But instead of triggering proper medical response, the monkey's death becomes another secret to bury. Gus Trotter drives her through fog-shrouded streets toward Chinatown, where rumors spread of vigilantes planning to burn the entire quarter at midnight. The same flames that consumed Honolulu's Chinatown now threaten San Francisco, as fear and hatred overcome reason. Lizzie discovers the true horror hidden in Chinatown's underground chambers—barrels filled with plague victims' bodies, shipped out secretly to avoid panic. The disease isn't just a Chinese problem; it's spreading through the entire city while officials maintain their deadly charade. When she finds Noah in his underground hideout, surrounded by other Chinese boys preparing for the worst, she realizes that her comfortable world of medical knowledge and wealthy connections means nothing against the city's willful blindness.

Chapter 6: Standing Together Against Fear

The mob arrives at midnight with torches blazing, ready to burn Chinatown to ash. But Lizzie stands with Noah and the other Chinese boys in a fragile line across the street, their linked hands the only barrier between hatred and destruction. Billy appears on horseback, having tracked down his sister, while Gus Trotter rides to join them. The confrontation becomes a battle of words rather than flames as Lizzie shouts the truth about the monkey's death and the plague's spread. She warns the mob that entering Chinatown means death, that only the wealthy have access to protective immunization. Her desperate lies about immunization create enough doubt to fragment the mob. Some demand access to the mysterious medicine, others insist on burning anyway, and gradually the group dissolves in confusion and fear. The immediate threat passes, but the deeper poison remains. The night reveals both the city's capacity for violence and its vulnerability to truth-telling. When children stand together against adult hatred, they discover their own power to change the story.

Chapter 7: Billy's Sacrifice and the Cost of Secrets

The victory against the mob crumbles when Billy collapses with plague symptoms. Lizzie's worst fears materialize as she realizes her brother sold his Yersin immunization to buy the motorcar that now sits mockingly in their driveway. Dr. Roumalade's true corruption emerges as Aunt Hortense forces him to provide genuine Yersin antiserum for their servants. The doctor has been profiting from the plague he publicly denies, selling expensive protection to the wealthy while planning to give deadly Haffkine vaccine to servants and Chinese residents. Maggy Doyle, their loyal maid, fights off plague infection after receiving proper treatment. But Billy's illness progresses beyond medical help. Despite Papa's desperate care, the brother who taught Lizzie to ride bareback and face her fears succumbs to the disease he could have prevented. The yellow plague flag hangs over their house like a surrender banner. Billy's funeral draws hundreds of mourners who risk infection to honor Uncle Karl's nephew, while Noah slips through the crowd to press a final note into Lizzie's hand.

Summary

In the aftermath of loss, truth finally emerges from the wreckage of conspiracy. The city's leaders admit what Lizzie knew from the beginning—plague walked among them while they counted profits and protected reputations. Billy's sacrifice becomes a testament to the cost of secrets, the price paid when adults choose comfortable lies over dangerous honesty. Noah returns to Chinatown, but their friendship transcends the barriers that divide their worlds. His final note promises a future meeting at the University of California, a shared dream of education and equality that neither plague nor prejudice can kill. Lizzie has learned that courage comes not from medical knowledge or wealthy connections, but from standing beside those who need her most, even when the entire world tells her to look away. The fog lifts from San Francisco's streets, but the scars remain—in empty rooms where laughter once echoed, in friendships forged across forbidden lines, and in a young woman who has seen too much truth to ever again accept easy lies. The Pearl of the Pacific gleams on, but Lizzie Kennedy carries forward the knowledge that real healing begins only when people dare to name what they see.

About Author

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Gennifer Choldenko

Choldenko crafts narratives that delve into the imaginative worlds of her characters, reflecting her passion for the infinite possibilities of storytelling. Her love for words, coupled with a genetic lineage rich in Irish storytelling and theater, informs her writing philosophy. This approach allows her to slip into her characters' skins, resulting in stories that evoke deep emotional responses, from laughter to tears. Her most famous work, "Al Capone Does My Shirts," earned critical acclaim, securing a Newbery Honor and becoming part of the widely read Tales of Alcatraz series, which has sold over 2 million copies.\n\nIn her writing journey, Choldenko demonstrates a unique ability to connect diverse life experiences to her storytelling craft. Although she holds degrees from Brandeis University and the Rhode Island School of Design, it is the eclectic mix of jobs she held—ranging from selling lingerie to wielding a mallet in a ketchup factory—that enriches her narratives with authenticity and humor. Her book, "One Third Nerd," exemplifies this comedic flair, offering readers an engaging experience with its blend of wit and relatability.\n\nReaders of Choldenko's works benefit from her unique blend of humor and heartfelt storytelling. Her ability to draw vivid characters and immersive worlds appeals to both young readers and adults who appreciate narrative depth and emotional resonance. Through her books, she shares the message that chasing one's dreams, despite the fear of failure, can lead to meaningful and impactful creative endeavors. This bio encapsulates not just the author's literary accomplishments but also the ethos that drives her storytelling passion.

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