Clinton's family has a reputation. His father, once a barnstorming radical, is a drinking man now. His brother, Berry-berry, is a wild vagabond, not above running a brothel to keep himself going. Clinton has skipped school for 57 consecutive days, filling notebooks with overheard conversations and waiting for his brother to return.

Then, one evening, Berry-berry does appear — in an aura of mystery that swings from excitement to callous destructiveness with shattering results.