Brett Ballin is an intelligent fifteen-year-old boy thrust out on his own after the death of his parents. His ambition is to become a doctor. His father has told him he has grandparents in Boston, his mother's parents, and he should contact them in order to get his education. His grandfather, however, has disowned Brett's mother and now rejects him. Not to be discouraged by this bad turn of fate, Brett strikes out on his own. He meets Tim Osterhaus, the two boys become friends and Brett is invited to live with the family. However his life intertwines with his mother's family as he struggles to resolve the issues he has to deal with as a result of his former life. It seems every decision he makes turns out badly and brings havoc onto the family he now loves and to whom he owes so much - the family who is trying to give him the life he has always dreamed about.