Orphaned brothers Prosper and Bo, having run away from their cruel aunt and uncle, decide to hide out in Venice where they fall in with the Thief Lord, a thirteen-year-old boy who leads a crime ring of street children.
Ivan fearlessly enlists in the United States Army in hopes of becoming a war hero like his father, but after being trained as a sniper and getting sent into the jungle of Vietnam, Ivan begins to question the war.
Desperate to fit in and thrilled to be befriended by Nina, the new girl at school, Windy must decide if she is willing to play the "choking game" in order to stay friends with Nina.