If you saw him on the street, you would cross to the other side to avoid him. Scarred, filthy, old, brash; Nine is a vagabond who wanders North America. Running from both the law and his demons. Illiterate & homeless, he tends to whips out a knife before even considering shaking a hand. Finally, his luck runs out when he ends up in Miami and is caught after picking yet another bar fight. Arrested before even savoring his fruit juice. Just as it seems that he'll pay his dues, hounded by a Cuban prosecutor, he miraculously gains incredible power. He can open portals across the world, magic doors through reality, and gains absolute freedom. He immediately escapes custody and breaks into an apartment. As his reputation grows, business executives and politicians worldwide vie for Nine's attention and favor, promising riches and fame; if only he'll do what they want, of course. Still, Nine could be more. If he chooses, he could right his wrongs and be better. One frustrating, tedious lesson at a time (given by a middle-schooler with red glasses). He can be more than his impulses, more than his gratification, more than he ever dreamed he could be. This is a story about gutters and stars, as Nine writes so the world can finally meet him. With each page, his prose improves.