An early boy-love classic that holds up as a literary work. It's a coming-of-age story about 13-year-old surfer Kim, who lives on Venice beach, California, with his drug-addled hipped father. Set in the early 1980s, Kim meets Bernie, an otherwise normal 34-year-old, and they become lovers and friends. Kim's father takes off for parts unknown and it's up to Kim and Bernie to find him. The complications include the surprise death of Bernie's coke connection, visits to Pop's old friends, a French guy, Bernie's Mexican roommate, who discovers he's dying of an unknown disease, and the sudden appearance of Kim's dope-runner Mom and her new boyfriend.