Joe Oak is used to living on unsteady ground. His mom can't be depended on as she never stays around long once she gets "the itch," and now he and his grandmother find themselves without a home. Fortunately, Joe has an outlet in his journals and drawings and takes comfort from comic books. But things fall apart again when Joe is suddenly left to fend for himself. He doesn't tell anyone he's on his own, as he fears foster care and has hope his mom will come back. But time is running out. The struggle to feed himself gets intense, and Joe finds himself dumpster diving for meals. He's never felt so alone. Just when it seems all is lost, his life turns in a direction that he never could have predicted.