Dramatic but gradual change in the human condition is the theme of this novel. The protagonist, Lawrence "Fitzi" Fitzsimmons, is a tough, poor, ill-educated but bright Irish lad from Charlestown, Massachusetts. He journeys out of the inner-city darkness in a spiritual, social, and intellectual quest, and begins an extraordinary metamorphosis. The story begins on Bunker Hill Day in 1943, with eleven-year-old Fitzi devolving into a juvenile delinquent. Lacking a moral compass, he drifts away from school and his Roman Catholic religion. Gradually, but surely, he increases his criminal activities. Along the way he drops out of high school and becomes a bookie for the Boston North End Mob. He appears to be headed in one unmistakeable direction - toward a long stay at the Charlestown State Prison.