Malaika and her brother Sammy have been arguing about the Underground Railroad when they are caught in an afternoon storm and whisked back into the lives of Malaika and Samson who are escaping slavery along the Underground Railroad. Separated from their mother, the pair make their way across the Ohio River to a stop on the Underground Railroad, the home of a Quaker couple who introduce them to Daniel; a crude but warm-hearted abolitionist.

Reluctantly, Daniel agrees to accompany the youngsters on their journey through Indiana and Ohio to Detroit, Michigan, where they hope to rejoin their mother and take a boat to the safety of Canada. But the trip is fraught with danger as two slave-catchers chase the trio all the way to the border.

In true Panagopoulos style, "Train to Midnight" gives readers an informative look into the past while skillfully combining the true adventures of the chase and the tension of a family's separation with the comic relief of her colorful, true-to-life characters.