Agu (Abraham Attah), a young boy, led a normal life with his family until a civil war shook his village. His mother escaped with his sister while he was left behind with his father and brother. Army troops penetrated the area and unfortunately, his father and brother were killed while he narrowly escaped bullets.

Left on his own, Agu survived in the woods until an army of underage soldiers discovered him. With nowhere to turn, he was incorporated into their regime and endured a tough initiation.

The commandant (Idris Elba), an unbalanced and barbarous man, became Agu’s father figure and he trained him to become an armed soldier. Agu quickly moved up the ranks and was exposed to the bloodbath of war, drugs, and rape.