Kennin Burnett, 15, is a tall, broad-shouldered, intensely handsome young man of mixed Japanese and Caucasian ancestry. He and his sister Shinchou, 18, live in a seedy trailer park on the outskirts of Las Vegas where they can be near their father, Mason Burnett, a good-natured small-time crook currently serving time at the minimum security Nellis Federal Prison camp.

Kennin and his friend Edwin Rivera work as car washers (an amenity for high rollers) at the Babylon Casino. Edwin is a gearhead and computer geek who is saving for a car. Kennin's aspirations are more immediate. He needs money so he and his sister can move to a better home and she can start a business.

When Kennin discovers that he has a natural talent for drifting, and that he can make lots of fast cash in the world of illegal street racing, he and Edwin team up to buy a car. And as word of Kennin's talent spreads, every drifter west of the Mississippi wants a shot at him.