The year of 1948 goes a little boring for you. You are living in a small east American town. Life never changes, and neither do people.

And people are cruel.

Hank Runner, the town freak, had a very unfortunate existence from the very beginning: He was born a bastard as a result of the great violence his mother suffered. His face and body were horribly deformed from birth. There were rumors among the town's folk that the devil had possessed him or that God was punishing him.

But Hank had always been quiet and kept to himself. And you couldn't remember him being mean to you even once.