For a friendless boy on the unforgiving London streets, there are no options for a moral life. Henry Moss soon discovers that crime is the only thing that pays, and in the tradition of Oliver Twist he becomes swept up in the dangerous world of pickpockets and fences, haunting dark alleys and unspeakable slums. But even for the most juvenile offenders the law is strict and the penalties harsh. Jim Eldridge returns us to a time when just growing up was a game of survival.