The story begins with Ishmael, and his brother Junior, living in the town of Mogbwemo, Sierra Leone. The brothers travel to Mattru Jong to meet up with friends and perform their dance routine. While they are staying in Mattru Jong they learn that their town was attacked by the RUF, otherwise known as the rebels. They stay at a friend’s house in Mattru Jong, while they search for their family. The RUF attack Mattru Jong and capture the city. Ishmael and Junior flee into the forest, but they get separated from each other. Ishmael runs into a group of boys that he once went to school with. They spend the next several months going from village to village trying to avoid the war. They finally stop running when the army recruits them to fight in
