Almost thirteen, Sonny is on the verge of becoming a man, but in his mother's eyes he is still a naive little boy. Everything changes when his father, Jake Cantrell, owner of the Snake Nation Cock Farm, presents him with his own rooster -- a Gray the boy calls Lion. A three-time winner worth nearly four thousand dollars, the bird becomes the pet Sonny always wanted. But cockfighting is not for pets, or children.

Sonny quickly comes to love Lion, but is soon faced with the biggest decision of his life, one that will change him forever, driving him into deep moral conflict. Rebelling against his father's demands, Sonny chooses his own way -- preserving his integrity and drawing on the courage, fierceness, and determination that he reveres in Lion. He steps into manhood by facing the frightening consequences of his actions.