Not many of the boys who enter the Carolina Military Institute as freshmen leave the school as graduates. Set in South Carolina, this is a story seen through the eyes of Will McLean, a sensitive, yet rebellious young boy, who aspires to be an "institiute man". He is an intelligent, honest, sarcastic and incredibly funny Irish, working class youth who doesn't hide from the truth or his fears. Secondary characters Dante Pignetti, Mark Santoro, and Tradd St. Croix, come into Will's life as he studies at the institute. Tradd is a fragile young ....