Spain in the 1930s. Nine-year-old Albi runs messages for people. He likes to help out, especially now that his country is at war with itself. When his brother & papa become involved with the militia & the Guardia (nationalists) begin reprisals, Albi struggles to make sense of who is on the right side. His family are under siege from outside & held captive by secrets within the home. Albi must sometimes close his ears & his eyes if he is to survive. The secrets he keeps haunt him until his 88th year, long after the end of a war that has shaped generations of Spaniards.