Shif leads a happy life: he's one of the smartest boys at school, he lives next door to his best friend, and is loved by his mother and sister. He knows nothing about the horrors committed by his country's government. When the soldiers arrive and take him to military school, Shif knows that as the son of a political prisoner, he will never be safe again, so he runs and tries to make his way towards a safer future in another country.