The booklet tells the story of a young African-American boy named James, who lived with his mother and father and sister Daisy. James' mother and father both worked and had little time to spend with him, leaving him vulnerable to the appeal of his friend Rico to join a local gang named the Vultures. Although James' motive for joining the gang was to have a family of friends in which he would be protected and respected, the gang drew him into the robbery of a local store run by a family friend. Finally, James participated in a drive-by shooting that targeted members of another gang, but it resulted in the accidental shooting of James' father and sister, who were visiting an uncle who lived at the site of the shooting. When he learned of the shooting of his father and sister, the police took him to the hospital where they were being treated. James' mother comforted him and told him that his father and sister would recover from their wounds. James vowed to leave the Vultures and cling to his family. The book concludes with James wrestling with the decision about how to leave the gang. Discussion questions throughout the story lead the reader to consider the various issues that led James to join the gang and the decisions made by various people in the story that led to such harmful consequences.