Gaff

Paul Silva lives in a paradise—a little farm high in the hills of a lush, green island in Hawaii—where he can see the ocean from his front porch. His disabled father, who makes a living by raising, training, and caring for roosters, has sheltered Paul from the harsh reality of the ties between the family business and the underworld of cockfighting. Fascinated by the strong, beautiful, spirited birds, Paul is proud of his father's work.

But after his schoolmate Honey reminds him of the terrible fate of these roosters, Paul begins to question his family's role in such a cruel sport. A friend's older brother, decides to initiate the two boys into the macho culture of cockfighting and force them to "become men." At the cockfight, Paul is shocked by what he sees. Illegal drugs. Gambling. But worst of all is the spectacle in the cockpit. With razor-sharp blades—gaffs—attached to their heels, the birds ruthlessly attack each other in a bloody fight to the death.

Sickened by the brutal spectacle, Paul vows to find a way to get his family out of the business altogether, only to come up against a disturbing quandary: raising roosters may be the only way the Silvas can continue to live in this idyllic place.

Eventually Paul comes to see that "being a man" has nothing to do with wielding the power to hurt people and animals, and he learns to meet the tests of making decisions in the real world, which is far from a paradise.