The wrecked, blessed body of Shelton Lafleur

It is New Orleans during the Depression, and Shelton Lafleur, eight years old, tumbles from the top branches of a live oak tree, which cripples him for life. His body wrecked but his spirit strong, he flees an oppressive orphanage to face the world alone. But sweet deliverance arrives in the form of a wily man named Minou, who takes Shelton into his lively family and under his worldly tutelage.

Together they travel through the city, tricking tourists out of their change, while Minou teaches Shelton the means of survival in the segregated South. Many years later, Shelton - now an artist of hard-won fame - recalls Minou's other legacy: the mysterious story of Shelton's birth, when he was taken from his mother to be raised by the invalid daughter of a wealthy white businessman.