11 year old Billie lives in a 'temporary home for children', one afternoon, to her surprise, she discovers that it is the middle of a war zone. When a small group of paratroopers kill everyone who lives there and then turn on each other, Billie is forced to learn to live with the violent, innocent and troubled Rafael, who decides to abandon the soldier's life and become a farmer. This haunting tale juxtaposes pastoral imagery with the terrors of war, creating a modern fable that exposes the absurdity of war.