Margaret Rose is a young Irish woman travelling by ship with her family to start a new life in the United States. The bunks in steerage are narrow, and she must share them with her younger sisters, Maureen and Bridget, her mother (Ma), and her baby brother Joseph. Their father (Da) is in a separate bunk area for men. After two weeks at sea, Margaret Rose goes up on deck despite the February chill to see if land is in sight. A man informs her that they are approaching the Narrows in New York Harbor, so she rushes to tell her family so they can see, too. However, Ma instructs her to pack up their belongings so that they aren’t the last ones off the ship. Suddenly, the ship starts to list significantly to one side, causing passengers to think that the vessel is sinking, but on deck, they realize that everyone has gone to one side of the ship to see the Statue of Liberty as they pass. Rose marks that it’s February 18, 1911. She feels like a new life is starting for her in America.