Juliet Friesen is 10-years-old when her family moves to Nicaragua. It is 1984, the height of Nicaragua's post-revolutionary war, and the peace-activist Friesens have come to protest American involvement. In the midst of tumult, Juliet's family lives outside the boundaries of ordinary life. They've escaped, and the usual rules don't apply. When Juliet's younger brother becomes sick with cancer, their adventure ends abruptly. The Friesens return to Canada only to find that their lives beyond Nicaragua have become the war zone.