The story begins with Tim when he is given an assignment to write a letter to a student at his high school's adopt-a-school in Beirut. Tim has no idea what to write so, instead, he sends a picture of a move on a chess board. Yara, the Lebanese girl who receives this, sends him a counter-move back and a pen-pal relationship develops between the two revolving around chess. As Tim graduates from high school and is faced with the difficulties of mapping out his future, Yara is faced with something completely different. In 1982 her country is invaded by Israeli military forces, and she and her family find themselves caught in the middle of a very real war. As Yara's world turns into a hell, Tim's path in life is shaped by her situation in a way that will bring the two closer together than ever.