Nick was found dazed and wandering on a beach, his memory gone. Now he is alone and on the run in the Seventh Ward of the Lower East Side the Bishop s criminal empire, where survival requires both luck and courage. Nick gains a foothold when a destitute actor takes him in. Soon he meets an extraordinary rat who reads his mind and becomes his sidekick. Then Nick joins the Mongrels, and the five boys get caught in the Bishop s grinder forced to commit crimes on demand. Escape seems impossible. Then Nick hears a rumor about loot from a railroad robbery and sees an opportunity. His little sidekick challenges him to be a captain. Nick steps up and leads the Mongrels in a daring plan that takes them into an abandoned tunnel. Will the plan succeed? Will Nick discover his lost identity? Part fantasy and part fast-paced action and suspense, this gallery of earthy characters provides a vivid portrayal of the gritty New York underworld in 1903.