A coming-of-age novel about poverty, survival and life on the outskirts of society.

Fifteen-year-old Efrain and his two younger brothers live in a house on the hillside in Monterrey, Northern Mexico. They are left to fend for themselves after their mother is wrongly arrested for theft. Now it falls to Efrain to clear Ma's name and to look out for his younger brothers, too. Ma has raised her boys to keep out of trouble with the local gangs and to study for their future, but they are viewed by society as good-for-nothings or criminals simply because of where they live. And with their Ma now in prison, the only people offering any kind of support are the local gang members - but everything come with a price tag.