Dayton Shannon made two promises. One was to protect his little brother and the other was to earn enough money to get to the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. Both seemed unattainable when his abusive father arbitrarily shipped him off to his uncle in Lexington, Kentucky to learn the horse trade. The horse trade turned out to be sheet writing for his bookmaking operation. He was a quick study and eventually sent enough money home to his brother to go to the Fair. When returned home; however, he discovered his father had taken the money and spent it on liquor. Disgusted, he ran away to Chicago in the hope he could earn enough shining shoes to get into the Fair. As fate would have it, he ran into a famous Kentucky plunger who had seen him in the Lexington betting ring and he offered him a job. Thus, began the adventure of a lifetime and soon he was rubbing elbows with the rich and famous at Coney Island where the difference between being rich and poor was decided by a field of horses. There he witnessed horse racing's most celebrated clashes, both human and equine and in the process learned the value of money, honor and friendship.