"Take care of your mother," twelve-year-old Zia's father whispers to him just as he is arrested-never to be seen again. Soon afterward, the Russian army pulls out of Afghanistan, and the country falls into a devastating civil war.

The Taliban takes over, establishing a regime of great brutality and creating an atmosphere of fear-women are not allowed to work nor can girls go to school. Many thousands join the perilous journey to neighbouring Pakistan seeking refuge—Zia and his mother among them.