Thirteen-year-old Billy Knight leaves home to ride the rails across Canada during the 1930s. His encounters with a wide cast of characters -- including fellow drifters and grifters; kid gangs; crooks; idealists; ragtag philosophers; and railroad bulls; as well as everyday folk simply trying to get by -- provide much more than he bargained for. And for the first time, he realizes that riding the rails is not just an adventure. Provided by publisher.