Samkad lives in a tribe deep in the Philippine jungle at the end of the nineteenth century, and has never encountered anyone from outside his own tribe before. He's about to become a man, and while he's desperate to grow up, he's worried that this will take him away from his best friend, Little Luki.
However, Samkad's world is about to change utterly. A strange man with white skin arrives in his village, and Samkad discovers the brother he never knew he had. A brother who tells him of people called 'Americans'. Americans who are bringing war, and burning, to Samuel's home.

Candy Gourlay is of Philippino heritage, and was a journalist before becoming an author. Her previous book Shine was nominated for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2014. It won the Crystal Kite Prize for Europe 2014 - Candy's debut novel Tall Story also won the Crystal Kite in 2011. Tall Story was also nominated for the Carnegie Medal and shortlisted for 13 awards including the Blue Peter Prize, the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and the Branford Boase.