Set in Adis Ababa, this novel tells the stories of two Ethiopian boys from different backgrounds who are forced to adopt the life of street children during a period of crisis in their lives. Dani runs away from an unhappy but affluent home; Mamo exchanges poverty for virtual slavery when he is abducted. They join other runaways, living in destitution, but bound together by loyalties and developing strengths that enable them to survive. This is a compassionate, engrossing novel, with an upbeat ending.