If none of us can be as we want, then what is the point in anything? Danny cannot believe his life should be prescribed for him, written out already.'In a small rural town trapped between two rivers, Danny is on the cusp of adolescence and eager to find his own place in the world. At home, life is complicated: his father has lost his job and his mother has retreated to her room. His only solace is the arrival of Philip, a new boy in school, whom he worships with a confused intensity.

Desperate to prove his own worth, Danny finds himself caught between his mother and father, self and desire, and obedience and rebellion.