"After twenty-five years in prison for a senseless juvenile murder, Gordon Loomis returns to a changed world. His old neighborhood is blighted by drug dealers and neglected property. His brother, Dennis, a successful oral surgeon, tries to help but is torn by his own fears and failings. Gordon's persistent visitor, the flamboyant Delores Dufault, yearns to be part of his new life, but he is as afraid of relationships as he is of being sent back to jail. Also drawn to Gordon's decency and vulnerability is thirteen-year-old Jada Fossum, an unloved child of the streets. Her desperate struggle to survive threatens the fragile balance that is Gordon's freedom."--BOOK JACKET