The Cardinal Outside My Window is a narrative verse novel consisting of 28 poems that blend together in order to tell the story of a troubled young man who deems himself unprepared, and unable to fulfill an independent life. Struggling to accept that he must grow out of his youth, and let go of his childhood insecurities, he loses control and finds himself trapped in a world of isolation, drug abuse, depression, shame, love, and infatuation.

Although these are the underlying themes of the verse novel, its story is told entirely in metaphors so the meaning is still up for interpretation.