1995 edition. Before the Great Plague swept London in 1665, eleven-year-old Michael Cornhill led a happy life with his foster family. Sent hastily from the city when illness strikes, Michael survives; but he returns to find all his family and friends have perished and he must try to make a new life for himself. Combining a fascinating portrait of London in a time of crisis with a powerful, compelling story of friendship and courage, this is a book of lasting value.