"At sixteen, Robert Lomos has lost his family. His father, a Latin jazz musician, has abandoned the family in San Antonio for life on the road as a cool-hand playboy. His mother, shattered by a complete emotional and psychological breakdown, has moved to Los Angeles and taken Robert's little brother with her. Only his iron-willed grandmother, worn down by years of hard work, is left. But Robert's got a plan: duck trouble, save some money, and head to California to put the family back together.

Trouble is, no one believes a delinquent Mexican-American kid has a chance - least of all, Robert himself. Wrenching and wise, Drift is an unflinching vision of the menace of adolescence, the hard edge of physical labor, and the debts we owe to family."--BOOK JACKET.