It was the end of World War II for Paddy Blackhouse, and he was looking forward to going home. However, he was unaware that hiding in his duffel bag were two cockroaches.
Sam and Lucy, two cockroaches that had been bombed out of their home, forcing them to find a temporary residence.
Paddy, like thousands of other soldiers, was waiting to get on board the ship that would take him home. He was going back home to Canada. First by ship over the ocean to Halifax Harbour, then by train to Montreal and then by taxi to a 12-story apartment building.
The apartment building was no easy match for Sam and Lucy, for to be accepted they must reach the Penthouse floor. To get by each floor they must have a password, which was not free. Each floor brought on a new adventure, from encounters with other cockroaches as they listened and learned, and from humans, who lived there.
Sam and Lucy watched as the drama unfolded in each apartment, from drunks, to gamblers, to a painter, each floor bringing on a new episode. From a dying old woman, to an out of place young man; then to a woman, who fought with herself to get her body slim? Then on to another floor, they watched and listened as twin sisters battled it out with nasty words.
One can travel through the maze of adventures with them, as they go in and out of each floor. The reader can listen in as Sam and Lucy become addicted to paint and how they break their habit.
Jasko, another cockroach that befriended them may help, or did he have his own agenda? The story becomes more and more intense as they struggled to reach the Penthouse floor. Their compassion and love for each other would be put to the test, till the very end.

Click here to read about another Donald Pollock book Frank Goes to War and The Ants Go Too!