Tod, vilely mistreated by the man he believes to be his father, expected to steal, and with a curious memory of bits of nursery rhymes and songs, wanders the streets filthy and alone. Seeing boys with a Guy, he decides to make one to earn some pennies, only his Guy turns out to be a girl. He calls her Mimosa or Mim, and when Mort threatens to have the law on him, he runs away taking Mim with him. He pins to her chest for safekeeping a small gold locket he has always had, and as he does so, the doll comes alive to him. As they run, she sings and talks to him - snatches of the rhymes he remembers from the past. Sometimes he hates her, but he recognises his need for her in all the homeless days that follow. She is a kind of talisman, and together they share adventures as he begins to remember more and more of the happier days when he was small. She helps him to find 'the house with the green door' where he will once again be loved, and he must learn regretfully to let her go when his need of her is past. A powerful, unforgettable story. The style is challenging, emotions almost unbearable at times, but well worth the effort.