Hungry, homeless and in trouble with the law, fleeing from the Irish Famine, sixteen year old Kevin Dillon enlists in the American Army. When he discovers that the Army of Observation in Texas is actually poised for an invasion of a peaceful Catholic country, Kevin and his friends slip across the Rio Bravo at night. There, they join with John Riley of the St. Patricks (San Patricio) Battalion and fight for the Mexican side. The last of the recruits, a golden-eyed Doberman dubbed Molly Malone, proves to be a warrior of unquestioned loyalty and courage. She follows Kevin and the Irishmen through the deadliest of battles even to the gallows at Mixcoac where thirty of them are hanged. In this remarkable re-creation Michael Hogan brings the history of the era alive with all its violence and sex, contradictions and ideals, romance and glory. And, underneath it all, is the poignant tale of a boy and his dog. WINNER OF THE OJO_DEL LAGO FICTION AWARD