In New York City in 1998, Ishmael recounts a brief dialogue between himself and school friends at the United Nations International High School in which they encourage him to reveal more about his past in Sierra Leone. 

Ishmael describes his initial childhood perception of the war in Sierra Leone as something happening in a distant country. Eventually, it becomes obvious that the refugees passing through his hometown of Mogbwemo are exhausted, undernourished, and traumatized; their children are afraid of the everyday sounds of the village.

An avid fan of rap music, Ishmael walks to the town of Mattru Jong with his brother Junior and their friend Talloi in order to enter a talent show in January of 1993. The boys intend to return the next morning, so they do not advise anyone of their plans. On the way, they stop to visit their maternal grandmother, Mamie Kpana, in her village of Kabati. Upon their arrival in Mattru Jong, the trio meets old friends: Gibiralla, Kaloko, and Kahalilou. Their friends return from school early the following day, explaining that they were released because the rebels attacked Ishmael’s home village of Mogbwemo. Sudden bursts of gunfire caused pandemonium, and children were separated from their parents.