When 11-year-old Sam's father suddenly leaves the family, Sam and his mom are forced to move from a comfortable neighborhood to a rough inner city one in Baltimore. Sam is having a tough time adjusting --- he's worried about his mother, who is sinking into a depression; he's bullied at school, and he's pretty much afraid of everything about his new surroundings. Things become clearer for Sam, though, when he befriends Greely, the black janitor at his school. With the support of this new friend Sam learns to address and deal with issues of race, class, emotional pain, and forgiveness.