Set against the backdrop of Philadelphia during the 1918 Spanish Flu outbreak, 'The Orphan Collector' delves into the struggles of thirteen-year-old German immigrant Pia Lange. Amidst the city's tumultuous celebration of war's end, Pia faces a grim battle for survival as a deadly pandemic ravages her community. With her father gone and the city under quarantine, Pia's courage is tested when she must leave her baby brothers behind to scavenge for supplies. Her absence attracts the morbid attention of Bernice Groves, a woman shattered by grief and driven to sinister acts that threaten to fracture vulnerable families further. As Pia battles to overcome shame and fear, she becomes entangled in Bernice's hidden schemes, pushing her down a perilous path that requires unthinkable sacrifices in the quest for justice and love. Ellen Marie Wiseman weaves a heart-wrenching narrative of resilience, spotlighting an era and epidemic that echo through time.