The lives of a boy and a man collide at a time when each finds himself trying to cope with recent tragedy. The man, Peter, is a nonpracticing physician who is mourning the death of his youngest brother. The boy, Joshua-Nathan, is the victim of a violence that killed his family and left him at an orphanage, from which he tries to escape, running literally into Peter. This book moves through the pain of healing and the complication of seeking a pain-free existence.