Abandoned by his father, neglected by his mother, shuttled between foster homes and a boys ranch for most of his formative years, a young man refuses to succumb to the fate that the world says should be his. Born the second of five children to a woman who not once had a name to write in the blank space left for father on her children's birth certificates, Alton Carter does not mince words as he describes a childhood full of violence and hunger and isolation. Early on, Alton decides he wants a "normal life" even if that means standing up to abusive relatives and being teased by his siblings and cousins. Along the way, he keeps an eye out for those who might help lighten the load, never losing hope that such people exist.