In the searing heat of an unnamed South American city, a gang of child-thieves runs wild.

Demi has the gift of speed - he can pick a pocket and be gone before his victim has even noticed he was there.

Baz is his lookout - no one sees her unless she wants them to.

It's like a game: dodging the law, keeping one step ahead, being the fastest, the cleverest, the best.

But one day, almost by accident, they steal a dazzling, beautiful, priceless jewel - and make a very dangerous enemy.

Suddenly they're sucked into a world where children's lives are worthless, where the rich and powerful are just adults who steal on a much grander scale, and where secrets are traded like gold.

Their only hope is to make a brave bid for freedom - to head upcountry, away from the unrelenting heat, the dried-up river, the only home they've ever known.

When good and bad are meaningless, two child thieves become the beating moral heart of an unputdownable thriller.