Plot

Chang-ho, 12, becomes friend with a North-Korean immigrant about the same age who just crossed the Dooman river, border between North-Korea and China. His mute sister and his wise grand-father will get along with him in a series of misfortunes.—Anonymous

A 12-year-old Korean-Chinese boy living on the Chinese side of the North-Korean Chinese border takes up with a North Korean boy his age who is in China to find food for his sister who is ill, against the backdrop of starvation and death just across the border in North Korea. All the while in the village, cross-border tensions result in persecution, rape, and insanity.—Anonymous