Acclaimed author E.R. Frank writes provocative fiction. America, a foulmouthed, yet endearing 16-year-old, attempts suicide and is placed in the care of psychiatrists at Ridgeway mental hospital. There he learns to cope with a past filled with neglect and mistreatment with the help of Dr. B. Alternating between America's present- day stay at the hospital and his past, living in the care of his older brothers, America is a stark exploration of the mind of an inner-city youth.