A YOUNG MAN’S AWAKENING: set in the 19th century, a story of Michael Flanagan, a young lad whose family is devastated by the Potato Famine in Ireland and manages to escape to Liverpool, where he is saved from destitution by Leon, a freed American Slave works as a bouncer in an upmarket brothel having managed to escape to England. Leon impressed with his ability with his fists, gets him a job at the brothel. Michael meets Maisie one of the prostitutes and she awakens to a whole new world and they fall in love from a narrow Catholic up-brining that sex outside of marriage is a sin and is the work of the Devil. A wealthy Lord, a frequent visitor to the brothel impressed with Michael’s boxing skills, offers to sponsor him and have him trained as a bare-knuckle fighter. Michael does well. However, Madame Rosita, the owner of the brothel, thinks it would be a money spinner for Michael to fight Leon, white against black. Michael and Leon refuse to fight each other and plan to escape to America. Eventually, after many narrow escapes, Michael and Maisie make it to America. Leon refuses for fear he will be caught by the slave catchers and sold back into slavery. Michael and Maisie find work in an upmarket brothel, but his reputation with his fists gets him involved with bare-knuckle fighting once again and is forced into a bare-knuckle fight against the leader of the Whyos, one the notorious Gangs of New York.