Runaway Dreams follows George and Anna as they struggle to make it on their own. Fifteen-year-old Anna runs from her mother's drugs and her abusive boyfriend. She dreams of a happy life, a job, and an apartment. But with no one to help her and no plan in mind, she soon becomes an addict herself and ends up prostituting and stealing to survive. Seventeen-year-old George, a gay man, runs from his home after years of conflict with his parents. His dream is to own a men's clothing store. He's level headed enough to get his GED and take business classes at the community college but convinces himself that to earn enough money for the stake he needs to open his store, he must work as a prostitute. George makes poor decisions, risks his life, and gets beaten, but his wide circle of friends shelter him, and he doesn't have to sleep on the streets. His mentor, Marvin, objects to George's tricking and slowly guides him toward maturity and an understanding of the darker reasons he is willing to prostitute. Anna ends up scrounging in dumpsters for food and sleeping wherever she can find a little warmth and protection from the weather. Her drug-induced paranoia keeps her from seeking the help she needs. George sees her slipping into a narrow space between buildings one evening and worried for her safety, gives her dinner and lets her spend the night in his apartment. She latches onto him as "the good man," the one person who could help her get off drugs and take care of herself. George doubts that he has as much power to help Anna as she thinks he does but tries to do what he can. He never imagines that befriending Anna will change his life forever.