The Barfly Boys is a fast-paced thriller about the trials and tribulations of four young men in Charlottesville, Virginia trying to keep alive their dreams of rock 'n roll stardom. The book chronicles the lives of the Mean Streets band: Chris, the bass player and songwriter, struggling to keep his relationship with Sarah intact while being tempted with the excesses of a rock 'n roll lifestyle. Dutch is the rhythm guitar player who writes beautiful, lyrical poetry, but cannot find any beauty in his own life. Billy, the lead singer, has been beaten down by a hard factory life, abandoned by his mother, and carries a gigantic chip on his shoulder. Finally, the reader encounters Todd, the drummer, who is slowing descending into violent madness and schizophrenia as he confuses MTV with the book of Revelation in the Bible. In the end, readers will become emotionally attracted to these four "beautiful losers" who yearn to escape the stultifying confinement of small town life and the bitter road to nowhere.