Armor E. Goetten

A young boy discovers the existence of a group called the Mooncussers - a gang of pirates that work at night and sends out false homing signals to ships at sea. The ships then crash on the shore, where they are looted by the gang.

Os dois jovens irmãos secretamente levam uma foca para casa das férias de verão e tentam escondê-lo de mamãe e papai. Os estragos acontecem quando as travessuras de Sammy perturbam a tranquila cidade de Gatesville e seus moradores.

Nick Romano lives in a poor tenement building on the south side of Chicago with his well-meaning but drug-addicted mother, Nellie. She encourages him to pursue his piano-playing talent in hopes that it will bring him a better life. Nellie's neighbors, like the alcoholic ex-lawyer who secretly loves her, help her in keeping Nick away from Louie, the resident drug dealer. But a chance meeting between Nick and Louie could change things forever.