At the age of 10, Laird takes over the responsibility of his younger brother when his destitute mother dies of the coughing disease. By that time, the boys already know much of living amid the poor streets of Bonn, and of thieving to stay alive. As young men, after gaining book learning of a sort, the pair open a successful, semi-legal investigation agency. Then, they tangle with a vicious gangster. It's a confrontation that severely changes both their lives and a boy becomes a dangerous man. The world is Garador, earth-like in many ways. The time is the far distant future. And revenge comes with a heavy toll.