Eight-year-old McMurray still has a bounce in his step-and a growl at the ready. He has been on his own for a long time, and in those years, he has seen and heard it all. Born in the crowded cellar of a Manhattan brownstone, McMurray is separated from his mother at an early age. Left to fend for himself in an animal shelter, McMurray is soon adopted by the Farber family, who renames him Barkley and whisks him off to their home in Brooklyn. Paired with the Farber's young son, Tommy, who constantly implores him to do tricks, McMurray loyally stays with the family-until he overhears they have scheduled him for an operation that takes away something very dear-his manhood. McMurray escapes, not realizing that even the best-laid plans of a savvy mutt can go astray. After McMurray creates a nomadic life, he befriends Eddie, a street musician who teaches him the ways of humans, and Fifi, a penthouse poodle who influences him in ways he never imagined. In this delightful animal tale, a homeless dog must learn to survive on the sometimes unforgiving streets of New York as he bravely searches for a true home.