This story takes placein the innocent insecurityof pre-9/11 America. After his alcoholic mother dies, sheltered teenager Leroy Smiley is left reeling... by how little he feels. His numbness comes to an abrupt end, however, when a blurry image of a forgotten family friend forms in his mind. Desperately seizing his unlikely chance to get the one thing he's always wanted, a normal life, Leroy ditches his new foster home to find the caring woman from his past. With little more than a few hazy memories, though, it'll take more than desperation to find her. He hops a train to Folsom City Prison to learn more from his father, and winds up on a journey that takes him further than he'd ever imagined, as he experiences the harsh indifference of the real world for the first time.