Life is a struggle for Sonny, a young boy living in small town Poland. Everyday he must overcome abuse from both adults and fellow inmates in the institution where the first scene is set. With dreams of being a poet and returning home, he escapes only to realize that his young alcoholic mother and the towns glue sniffing children do not need nor want him around.

Sonny ("Mongrel" to his peers) is thrust out onto the streets again where he must do all the adult things like finding shelter and food while still wanting to do the other things normal children want to do. Setting up quarters in an abandoned barge he collects scrap to pay his way in society and tries to avoid the violent negativity that surrounds him.

He encounters a young but unhappy girl who lives in a posh house nearby and together they find comfort and much needed affection. The relationship develops and they begin making plans of an escape.