is 1915, and Canada is embroiled in the First World War. The East Coast is under threat from German U-boats that are sinking ships and endangering coastal towns. It all seems very far away from the life of fifteen-year-old William McCracken - a Halifax lad who has developed a taste for gambling and tough ways. William thinks he has a summer of mischief ahead of him until he discovers that his mother has arranged for him to spend the season working...