The DeBillier family lives in a rugged area on the outskirts of Winnipeg. John is retired and his only income is a government farm subsidy. He is a widower whose wife had died in an accident when his children were small. Although he tries to put up a happy front, he is profoundly sad. He has never recovered from losing his wife. His depression is the source of his alcoholism.

Bob and Marie Claire, also known as The Rat, ride their bikes to the Assinboine River where they take their motor boat, the Marlin, to the Luxton School in Winnipeg. The Rat has been chosen by her drama teacher to star in the school play that is being held on the last day of the school year. The Rat is an assertive and bold young girl. She and Bob are close although they are polar opposites. Due to Bob’s passivity and gentle nature, he allows himself to be dominated by his outspoken and opinionated younger sister. But there is a quiet strength about Bob, and when he needs to step up, he proves that he can be a leader.

When Bob and the Rat return home after the last day of the school year, they find their father dead on the kitchen floor. His death sparks an adventure that neither child would have ever imagined. The domineering Marie Claire decides that they must bury their father next to their mother in the garden behind the house. Although Bob thinks they should call the authorities and see that their father has a proper burial, the Rat convinces him that the cops would put them in the foster care system. Their father wouldn’t have wanted that.

The Rat has premonitions that often prove to be true. She predicted that their family dog would run away and that their father would soon die. Both predictions ultimately came to pass. She has had a recurring dream about a great protector who defends her among tall buildings. When a family friend tells the orphaned kids that their Uncle Jerome lives in New York City, the Rat is sure that he is the protector of her dreams. It convinces her that they must run away to New York and find Uncle Jerome. The passive Bob really doesn’t want to leave home but the thought of going into the foster care system seems to be a worse choice. They hop a freight train and find their way to Toronto where they encounter Joey, a cigar trader, who gives them a lift to New York City. Joey has an affinity for the orphaned kids because he had lost his parents at a young age, too.

Once in New York, they try to track down their uncle. They had been told that he was a big drug dealer so they start their search in the Bronx because it is alive with drug dealers. Ultimately, their journey leads them to the posh penthouses of Fifth Avenue. Joey promises to help them find their uncle when he returns from a short business trip. In the mean time, they are forced to sleep in a “den” in Central Park and come in contact and make friends with the full spectrum of humanity – from street hustler to famous celebrity rapper.

They successfully elude the police until the cops spot the Rat by herself in Times Square. She winds up in an abusive children’s home but is rescued by Bob and her new-found New York friends. The incident leads to changes and upheavals in the lives of everyone. A troubling condition that the Rat has suffered from for her entire life escalates to a dangerous level and just in the nick of time, Bob finds Uncle Jerome who comes to the rescue of both of the youngsters.

The Rat found not only one protector in New York City – she found several, the most loyal of whom was her very own brother.