Kate Keely is the orphaned daughter of a newspaper reporter father and an Irish immigrant mother, living close to poverty with an aunt until their home was destroyed by the earthquake.

Suffering from a history of scarlet fever and the loss of her mother, Jolie is sickly and depressed and her father thinks a companion would lift her spirits and that together they could travel.

Kate sees this position as an easy source of income and, more importantly, a chance to visit her mother's fabled Ireland.

Kirkus Reviews called A Sea So Far "an enjoyable read", though noted it is "not in the league with Thesman’s strongest works, such as Rachel Chance (o.p.)

They explain, "Thesman effectively weaves together [...] separate strands, [...] but as the novel progresses, the relationship seems a bit melodramatic and does not demonstrate the intimacy that the narrative claims.