I can't resist tossing a few simple tricks-rock the baby, elevator, tidal wave. My hands whir, my arms loosen up. I've only practiced at home, but this feels pretty fine. I take up more of the sidewalk. People weave around me, staying clear of the yo-yo as it extends and then glides back. There's only me and the yo-yo working with the noise and confusion of the street corner.Calvin lurks at the bottom of his high school's food chain. His mother is dead, his father is long gone and he lives with his ailing grandmother, who's getting too sick to run her dry-cleaning shop.

The only time Calvin feels in control is when he's working his yo-yo. When Calvin takes up street performing, he becomes an overnight sensation as the Yo-Yo Prophet. But can he really predict the future when he yo-yos, or is he making a gigantic fool of himself?.