Eleven-year-old Ian and his Vietnam veteran father have been homeless for years, but now his father has found a perfect place for themāan abandoned city courthouse with heat, plenty of bathrooms, and lots of exits and entrances.
Then, two things happen that threaten Ianās fragile security: his father disappears, leaving Ian to fend for himself with the survival skills heās learned through the years, and Ian discovers that a local museum is mounting an exhibition of kites in the courthouse.Suddenly, Ianās safe hideaway is filled with peopleāand with extraordinary, beautiful kites that spark Ianās imagination and draw him out of his shadow existence. Will the kites be Ianās downfallā¦or his salvation?