The book is set in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and begins with a crime that at first seems straightforward, but quickly expands into a thicket of complications.

[2] NYPD Detective Matty Clark winds up investigating the crime, and keeping an eye on Ike's distraught father Billy, whose behavior becomes increasingly erratic.

Cash is initially arrested for the crime, but later released when the accounts of other witnesses back up his own; his own behavior is affected as he has difficulty coping with the memory of the incident and the stresses of the police interrogation.

In May/June 2008 issue of Bookmarks, the book received 4 out of 5 stars, with the critical summary saying, "A few reviewers cited some melodrama that detracted from Price’s social-realist goal, but no one disputed the perfectly executed ending".

[12] The Los Angeles Times praised it as "deftly written" and "beautifully expressive", but thought that "Price can't quite bridge the gap between this social novel and the subtleties of real life".