An aspiring teacher's journey into the dark heart of the American education system.

A part of James Hartman fit perfectly into his career as an attorney at a law firm in New York City. He was good at what he did and enjoyed the perks of the professional career his privileged upbringing had reared him to strive for all his life. But another part of James believed his talents should be used for more than just personal gain - that he should be doing something with his life that would, in some small way, help change the world for the better. And James needed more time than his high-powered career allowed to save his deteriorating marriage and to live a more meaningful life outside of his profession.

So James left the law to teach in an inner-city public high school as part of the New York City Teaching Fellows Program. His hope was to offer opportunity to his inner-city students and to help turn around a failing public high school. What he found during his three year odyssey teaching in the New York City public school system was a reality of dysfunction, violence, racism, and corruption far different and infinitely more tragic than he could have ever imagined.