This story is very ambiguous and at the same time extremely clear, because it is about each of us. About an adult and a child, about an old man and a teenager. A ten-year-old brat nicknamed the Rat and her main protector, her older brother Bob, having been orphaned, set off from a provincial Canadian town in search of adventure and an uncle in the attractive and dangerous New York. The guys have to go through a serious school of life and learn the whole truth about themselves and this crazy world. While reading the book, even the most dispassionate and indifferent reader will not be able to resist tears, although there will be many reasons for laughter. A book by the most mysterious English writer that shocked the whole world.