Joshua is a troubled boy who lives with his mother and stepfather in a divided c
ity, where a wall and soldiers separate two communities, and the rubble-strewn r
esidue of their broken world gives hints of the old life before the wall was bui
lt. Joshua discovers a manhole, which leads to a tunnel, which leads in pitch da
rkness under the wall and across to the other side. Forbidden territory, dangero
us territory, violent territory, which a boy like him - visibly different - shou
ldn't stray into. An act of kindness from a girl saves his life, but leads to a
brutal act of cruelty and a terrible debt he's determined to repay. And no one,
no one must find out that he's been there - or the consequences will be unbearab
le.
