Wounded during an ambush, the rebel-boy soldier Hasan climbs a tree to escape the military. He is caught in the dirty war for Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia, where his people suffer a brutal occupation.

While resting in the tree-tops and considering his limited options for survival, an orangutan befriends him, caring for him while he recovers. When he has recovered his strength sufficiently to leave the tree, he thinks about the orangutan, and decides that his only escape is to travel to the coastal islands where his distant family live.

His voyage takes him through rainforest, city, and sea-scape, as the peace of mind he so desperately seeks continues to elude him.