BASED on Swedish author Henning Mankell's novel, the story of Nelio (the bright-eyed Sergio Titos), a street kid in Mozambique, is a fantastical journey from the horror of civil war in the countryside to the daily struggle for survival on the streets of the capital city. A magical lizard woman, a disappearing dwarf and spirits of the dead all cross Nelio's path on his journey. Surprisingly uplifting, the film is carried by a gang of non-actor street kids as they create what enjoyment they can out of life despite the odds against them. Nelio is found fatally wounded on the stage of the local theater by Jose the baker. Nelio insists on spending his remaining hours telling his tale to this sympathetic man who would prefer to send for help. Nelio's village is torn apart by gun-wielding night marauders and Nelio himself is rounded up for a rebel training camp. He makes his escape to the city where he hooks up with a group of street kids who show him the ropes. Nelio becomes the de facto leader of the group, despite being a mere ten years old. He also begins demonstrating unusual healing powers, which will abandon him at a crucial moment. Though director Nordlund makes no attempt to play down the brutal violence of the civil war, nor the meanness of street life, Nelio's story emphasizes how one person can touch the lives of others. Upbeat music and comic scenarios resist the downward pull of poverty. Hierarchies of race and privilege are dealt with obliquely: a light-skinned hand gives a penny to Nelio as he begs in the market; the street kids outwit light-skinned property owners and security guards. While the end may seem a little naive in its hopefulness, the film makes its case on the strength of the street kids' will to live, and the potential awakening of adults from the deadening effects of the war.