Still traumatized by her experiences upriver, Elly is just another penniless street urchin in the teeming city--until a ragged troupe of barefoot boys, who call themselves the Razzy Dazzy Spasm Band, discover the secret of her colossal talent.
With their help, Elly is soon playing nightly at one of the elegant bordellos in the city's notorious Storyville district. She becomes privy to the fascinating--and disturbing--secrets of the women who work there, and befriends such musical luminaries as Jelly Roll Morton and the young Louis Armstrong. And is confronted by more of the life-and-death challenges that are forcing her to grow up so very fast.