Based on true stories of former child soldiers interviewed by the author in Liberia, Son of a Gun describes the journey of a brother and sister, ten-year-old Lucky and eight-year-old Nopi, who are kidnapped from school and forced to become child soldiers.
Lucky and Nopi manage to escape with the help of older children. They track down their parents, but then must flee again. In the end Lucky and Nopi are reunited with their parents, but they both know the pieces of their lives will never fit back together again like they used to. When will the war really be over, and when will they get to be the children they still dream about?