In 1889 New York, twelve-year-old Alberto Reyes is left alone on the Bowery after his parents die of winter fever. Forced into the city’s harsh underworld, he learns the rules of hunger, danger, and survival—where pennies buy safety, silence keeps you alive, and mercy is rare. Guided by fleeting kindness and hard-earned instincts, Alberto navigates flophouses, markets, and alleys, discovering that endurance in the Bowery is built from small choices made every day.