On a devastated Gulf Coast, seventeen-year-old Nailer ekes out a bleak existence scavenging copper wire from downed oil tankers. His horizons extend no further than the dangerous community of Bright Sands Beach, where his abusive father is the most brutal threat of all. But when a clipper ship washes ashore with a live—and rich—girl on board, Nailer has a decision to make. Will he profit from his find or gamble on helping her survive?