Angela and her family have arrived in New York City from their village in Italy to find themselves settled in a small tenement apartment on the Lower East Side . When her father is no longer able to work, Angela must leave school and work in a shirtwaist factory. Against the backdrop of the birth of the labor union movement in the early 1900s, Angela plays a part in the drama and turmoil that erupt as the workers begin to strike, protesting the terrible conditions in the sweatshops. And she records the horrors of the Triangle Factory fire and the triumphs and sorrows of the labor movement

		Tuesday, November 23, 1909 I bent to my work. Everything seemed as usual. But it was not…I could hardly keep sewing straight seams. We worked for two hours. There was only the sound of the machines and Mr. Klein’s voice, urging us to work faster. Around ten o’clock , Ruth stood up, took a whistle from her pocket, and blew it. “I now declare a strike in this shop!” All together we rose up out of our seats. Mr. Klein began to wave his arms and yell, “Girls! Sit down! Sit down!” No one listened. Without a word we took our coats and hats. And we walked out.