Toby Sligh is a senior at a Catholic high school who wants only to dance with his boyfriend at the prom. This is the very least of his worries - as he finds himself tangled in a web of illusions. Toby's mother has just moved out of the house and made him promise not to tell his father where she is. Leonard "Juice" Compton, Toby's best friend, is an all-state running back and a spectacular crack dealer, dragging Toby into trouble with both sides of the law.

And Ian Lamb, Toby's boyfriend - whose enigmatic glass eye reflects a dark history of mystery and deceit - leads Toby to the bedside of Father Eli Scarcross, a gaunt and AIDS-ravaged Jesuit priest, who embodies what happens when love and lies collide. Ian offers Toby a deal: If Toby will befriend Scarcross, Ian will get to the bottom of Mrs. Sligh's flight.

1. In a fantastic journey through the playgrounds and hospitals, bedrooms and classrooms, backseats and back alleys that make up our shadow nation, Toby Sligh learns the truth and the truth about himself in a world where everybody has a secret to hide, a trust to betray, and a story to tell.