Drifting across the margins of American society, a growing number of young people have chosen lives untethered—riding freight trains, sleeping under stars, and forging community through shared hardship and radical freedom. In this hidden world of nomads, survival is built on resilience: dumpster-dived meals, makeshift shelters, and bonds stronger than blood. Many are fleeing trauma, poverty, or disillusionment with the systems that failed them, but in the chaos of constant movement, they find purpose, solidarity, and a sense of belonging.

These youth challenge conventional ideas of home and success, rejecting stability in favor of autonomy and connection. Their stories unfold along rail lines and back alleys, in campsites and abandoned lots—spaces that become sanctuaries amid the disrepair of the American dream.