Child prodigy turned political radical Carleen is incarcerated after a botched heist. Her 20s and 30s crawl by in stifling isolation. When finally let loose onto the streets of New York, she finds a job as a dog walker in Manhattan's most elite neighbourhoods, relating better with the dogs than with their owners. Determined to prove herself a real person, Carleen begins a slow and halting process of self-discovery. Strikingly funny and self-aware, this novel asks the question: How do you restart after crashing your first chance at life?