Between Fathers and Sons: It's the dawn of the 21st century, and Miles Johnson is on the cusp of tumultuous changes in his life. He has just become a teenager and is wrestling with higher expectations from the adults in his life, as well as his diminished social standing as a freshman in high school. A tragedy and unexpected and unwanted new responsibilities add to Miles's sense of vulnerability. Although he is surrounded by people who love him, he feels alone. He embarks upon the most important journey of his life during all these changes - becoming a black man. He is joined on his magical quest by an unlikely trio of companions: a riddle whose answer will take Miles's life in an unexpected direction, a moth-eaten strip of Kente cloth, and a mysterious neighborhood shopkeeper.