Irving Shulman

"Maria is young and innocent and has never known love--until Tony. And Tony, searching for life beyond the savagery of the streets, has discovered love for the first time with her, too. But Maria's brother is the leader of the Sharks and Tony had once led the rival Jets. Now, both gangs are claiming the same turf and with tensions rising to the point of explosion, it seems there is no way to stop a rumble. Tony promised Maria that he would stay out...

The teen-aged son of a well-to-do family gets involved in violence when he attempts to win the approval of a gang of high-school hoodlums.