Only his strange great-aunt seems to understand the thoughts behind a young boy's expressionless face as he returns on an eerie, snowy night from rescuing a dog that dislikes him.
Kidnapped by the crew of an Africa-bound ship, a thirteen-year-old boy discovers to his horror that he is on a slaver and his job is to play music for the exercise periods of the human cargo.
Forced to live on the streets of New York after his mother disappears from their hotel room, eleven-year-old Clay is befriended by two men who help him survive.
Only his strange great-aunt seems to understand the thoughts behind a young boy's expressionless face as he returns on an eerie, snowy night from rescuing a dog that dislikes him.
