The book follows the journey of the young 13-year-old teenager, Davy Ross, who is hit with the sudden death of his grandmother. As such, his life is uprooted as he is sent to live with his mother, an alcoholic, in New York.
When he gets to New York, he is mostly neglected by his divorced parents, and instead seeks friendship in his dog, Fred. However, he forms a friendship with another boy, Douglas Altschuler, who also has divorced parents. The two develop strong feelings for each other and form a sexual relationship. But, when they are caught being intimate by Davy’s mother, their relationship comes to a halt.
Davy’s dog is killed in an accident, leading Davy to come to the conclusion that it was his homosexual acts that resulted in this. However, Davy’s father teaches him that homosexuality is not a sinful or wrong thing. In the end, the two boys resume their friendship, and, it is implied, their relationship.
