Martin O'Boy's life is not easy. His beloved grandmother has just died, his pregnant mother and father fight all the time, and his twin, Phil, is completely incapacitated. And yet, for Martin, life in Ottawa's Lowertown is not all bad: he has his best friend Billy Batson, the movies, his one-eared cat Cheap, and then there's Buz, his glamorous next-door neighbor, who's off at the war.
As the war comes to an end with the bombing of Hiroshima, Ottawa is plunged into a state of turmoil — returning soldiers, parties, fights, and drunks fill the streets. Meanwhile, turmoil of another kind is brewing closer to home: Martin and Billy joined the church choir to earn some money, and the organist, Mr. T. D. S. George, is very interested in Martin. As the reader knows, though Martin doesn't, this interest is a very dangerous thing. But Martin has a pure soul, Billy's friendship, his cat's affection, Buz's imminent return, and his grandmother's love — all of which help him to deliver justice to Mr. George and heal himself and others.
