In this first-person narrative, sixteen-year old Rooster Cochrane has been living from squat to squat. When he learns that his best friend Georgie has died of an overdose and that her body has been dumped beside a bike path, Rooster decides to find out what really happened. He's the police's prime suspect, the local drug dealer has it in for him, and a city councillor is trying to move the homeless out of the downtown core. The only place Rooster finds people who take him seriously is the Refuge, a drop-in center for street youth. Here he encounters a man who won't let him down no matter what he does. As Rooster closes in on the truth, he learns that the grime of his city has nothing to do with poverty. In the heart-stopping climax, Rooster discovers the full measure of his courage.