The author relates how her cousin was imprisoned at the age of fifteen for attempted carjacking and how she took him in upon his release, only to lose him to the deadly streets of South Central L.A.

Part I: Release and resurrection -- Garden party, July 2009 -- Release day, June 2006 -- The investigation, July 2009 -- Getting started, June-July 2006 -- Job, July 2006 -- Investigation, July 2009 -- School, August 2006 -- Funeral, July 27, 2009 -- Apartment, August 2006 -- Hitting bottom, November 2006 -- The end, August 2008-July 2009 -- Part II: Inferno -- Crime and punishment -- Where was our family? Where were the lawyers? -- Milestones -- Norco -- Inferno, in Michael's words -- Visiting 1.0 -- Visiting 2.0 -- Dizzy -- The biggest wildfire in California history -- Part III: Unforgiving world -- Fire and ice -- The single mother and the great white whale -- First steps -- "Sis, run!" -- Gangbanging -- a definition -- How not to help your kids -- the limit on helping your kids -- City of angels -- The end -- My heart's locket -- Coda: What's next?.