The story that began in the novel "Rachel's Secret" continues in "Rachel's Promise." With his drunken father out of work, fifteen-year-old Sergei leaves for a factory job in St. Petersburg. But factory life in 1904 Russia is unimaginably difficult, and Sergei soon joins the workers rebelling against inhumane conditions.
Forced to leave Russia because of continuing riots against Jews, Sergei's sweetheart, Rachel, takes the Trans-Siberian Railway across Russia to board a ship to Shanghai. Like Sergei, Rachel must abandon her studies and work to support her family.
Rachel and Sergei are both working to save enough money to move to America for a better life. Rachel's dream of becoming a journalist is encouraged by an unlikely friend in Shanghai, and Sergei becomes ever more embroiled in the politics of revolutionary Russia. Separated by thousands of miles, Sergei and Rachel cling to each other through letters, which become the brightest parts of their lives. Both hope for a future that will see them reunited and their dreams fulfilled.