Dublin. A city in flux, its population swelling, a place of great wealth and grinding poverty, a playground for the rich but also a violent and dangerous city.

Here James Lovett, thirteen year old son of Lord Dunmain and heir to several titles and grand estates, finds himself homeless and dispossessed on the streets. His boorish, drunken father must conceal his son's existence to collect a large inheritance.

He announces James's death and even stages a funeral in the city's cathedral. But James is not dead.

A spirited and resourceful boy, he is surviving by the skin of teeth. Can he survive against terrible odds? The adventure works its way to a thrilling climax in the forests of Pennsylvania, followed by return to Dublin and a final confrontation with his family ...