George Albert Cantrell, known as the Wizard for his skill in calculating street prices for cocaine, has a mentor. Corinna Watts, his eighth grade teacher, discovered his brilliant mind and rapacious curiosity right away, and she has taught him as much as he will learn ever since. The Wizard explains all this and more to Rensselaer, a simple-minded boy and occasional friend. Watts and the Wizard first met during his sixth grade year. After he and a friend destroyed all of her roses, he snuck back in and used his crack profits to plant dozens of new ones. They have been friends ever since. One day, Watts tells him to take the Secondary School Admissions Test so that he can go to Alden Hill, an amazing prep school. He gets an astronomical score on his third try, an interview at the school, and, eventually, an offer to attend with a full scholarship. The Wizard has not attended school for a full year. Instead, he spends his time seeing the city and its arts, learning from Watts, and dealing drugs under his boss, Earl. The Wizard gets to know Earl and his huge family. Sometimes, he watches Earl's baby daughter, Delight. One day, after a run to Miami with Earl, the Wizard goes to Earl's apartment and discovers that Delight has died of a fever because no one was home to hear her screams. The Wizard never deals drugs again, and after he says goodbye to Watts, he steps into his new life.