1974: On the morning of a beautiful August summer day, passersby in Lower Manhattan gaze in disbelief at the Twin Towers above them. Almost half a kilometer above, a tightrope walker runs, jumps, and dances - a suspended moment of absolute freedom and artistic triumph in a city of perpetual struggle for survival. His magic brings out the extraordinary in the ordinary lives below on the streets. For instance, there is Corrigan, the crazy, selfless Irishman who dedicates his life to the street prostitutes of the Bronx. He has spent the night in his van outside the Central Court at the WTC to support two of his charges at an arraignment: Tillie, who is already a grandmother at 38, and her beautiful daughter Jazzlyn. But Corrigan does not know that this day, which generously offers freedom, will also bring death and change the lives of many who are close to him and the two women in his care. Colum McCann captures the atmosphere and voices of this city in a gripping epic. It sparkles with the wild spirit of its time, as well as the electrifying language and imagery of an author who is among the most sensual and daring storytellers in the English language.