Ed Crockett, the son of an absent and alcoholic father, grew up in poverty in a crowded house on Portland's Munjoy Hill in the 1970s. He recounts his days growing up with the ever-present specter of a drunken father and then overcoming the odds to become a successful businessman and politician. The book is not just a tale of struggle and perseverance, but also a story of love, redemption, and ultimately forgiveness.