Set in the Five Points neighbourhood of New York City in the years 1857-1863, 'Moon and the Mars' follows the life of Theo, a half black, half Irish orphan living between the homes of her grandparents. Through her eyes we see everything from P.T. Barnum's circus to the Draft Riots that tore NYC asunder, and the daily maelstrom of work and camaraderie and hardship necessary just to survive in Five Points.