The main character, William, is a boy born to a hopeless single parent in Glasgow, Scotland, unwanted and largely ignored. Life is always a struggle for her. In the course of time she dies, leaving William with the man she had been living with. William is mistreated and bullied, and eventually runs away from home, penniless and with no idea where to go. He hides in a lorry going to London, where he begs in the streets for money or food. One day he...