 This tale chronicles the trials and tribulations of Cole McKay, 15, an obedient son who yearns for the attentions of his emotionally remote father. Cole is by turns nurtured and abandoned by the rest of his family; his sister Kathleen, older derelict brother Jack, and rigid mother Margaret. As the tale unfolds each family member undergoes a crisis of their own, their individual arcs interweaving until a heart-wrenching climax.