Jamal dreams of playing soccer in the World Cup even though he lives in a country where children are not allowed to play the game. When the family is forced to flee their homeland, Jamal and his sister Bibi are separated from their parents and must continue the perilous journey alone with other refugees on a leaking boat. Jamal's chances of landing in Australia and finding his parents seem hopeless when the food runs out and pirates come aboard. This story is not about an actual family but the author has written it with help from people who told him of their own dangerous journeys.