Fourteen-year old Adem, an Albanian boy, lives in Serb-occupied Kosovo. Adem hates existing in a constant state of terror. Every week, friends and family are beaten, teargassed, and killed. The Albanians are helpless, and even passive resistance can get you killed--as is Adem's sister Fatmira, gunned down while reading a protest poem. Now Adem must decide how to survive this never-ending nightmare--with or without his family. Mead's novel includes a brief history of the events leading to the Kosovo Conflict, a map of the region surrounding Kosovo, and a pronunciation guide.