Raymond's life is on pause - stuck in a job he hates and living with a bunch of middle class students he has nothing in common with. He's a man adrift, until a chance encounter on a night out reunites him with his charismatic but volatile former foster brother Jerdy.

Juvenile delinquents are sent to a small British island after a fellow prisoner's death, where they must fight for survival.

William Franklin is a teacher who was born in Ireland and moved to the United States only to repatriate in 1939 after his leftist political views cause him to lose his job. Franklin becomes the first non-cleric instructor at St. Jude's, a school for wayward boys run by Brother John, who is a firm believer in strong discipline.