Whenever the schoolchildren sing the national anthem eightyearold Toto is asked to keep quiet He has a cleft lip and his garbled voice always makes everyone laugh But this boy from the slums is a battler and not so easily daunted His mate is a little boy who is hard of hearing when these two are on the prowl together even the bruiser next door doesnt bother them Totos mother cant really look after her son much Shes got too much on her plate trying to manage her men She dreams of going to Japan to work as a geisha But if push comes to shove Toto can always depend on his headstrong yet warmhearted mother She even supports his somewhat ludicrous plan to take part in a public speaking contest
