When Tony s mother walks out on him and his father, on the surface Tony s life appears to go on as normal, but on the inside, everything has changed. Tony lives with his father but they rarely talk. In fact, Tony s father seems to have lost all real interest in his only son. Tony deals with this by becoming Tony the man , Tony the untouchable. He vows never to let anyone get close to him again. Joe is an Aboriginal from a country town, living in the city for his job as an apprentice fitter and turner. Teased and tormented by his fellow co-workers, Joe chucks his job in after two weeks, but is too ashamed to go home. Instead he seeks shelter in an old municipal power station in a nearby park. Alone and growing more desperate by the day, Joe wonders what life could possibly offer someone like him...The Inner Circle traces the friendship of the two boys and the gradual breakdown of their defences, towards each other and towards life. A compelling story from one of Australia s finest children s writers.