Snowbirds

The hero of the story is a teenager, Eli, who survives the seedy underbellies of Detroit in the metal scrapping business. After a stray bullet claims the life of his father, Eli drops out of high school and goes full-time into scrapping. The combination of Eli's entrepreneurial instincts and the under-regulated nature of the scrapping industry in Detroit, puts Eli on a fast-track to success. Unfortunately, the syndicate that runs the scrap yards frowns upon his innovations and aims to knock him down a peg.