Rocked by back-to-back family deaths, eight-year-old Gavin Scott is yanked from his happy life in upstate New York and plopped down onto Planet New Hampshire. It's the 1960's, bullies are merciless, and he must outsmart them at every turn. But with a knack for pranks, Gavin learns that running with a wild crowd has its drawbacks.

Refusing to roll on his buddies for a crime he didn't commit, Gavin takes the heat and punishment is harsh. The Wings for Young Offenders program offers troubled teens a straighter path. Gavin earns his seat in the cockpit. Flying is the finest rush he's ever felt, but he still can't soar. He can't even get through high school. A lurid back channel opportunity opens.

The shadow brigade of juveniles infiltrates clandestine global operations. Scraped raw by risky secret missions, Gavin slips into biker gangs, brawls, and booze. He finds love. Loses it. Seeks a permanent quiet. Saved by an ethereal message in the form of a tiny golden heart, Gavin rejoins his odd current of fate. It leads to Hollywood. A family. Fulfillment. But regret is ruthless. When another presence enters his life, he questions what it means to survive. Can a Shadow Kid ever find the light? And the power of the golden heart, a new home?