Simi, a twelve-year-old Tutsi, escapes the clutches of the Hutu as he watches his family join the one million people killed during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. After finding solace and shelter in a school-turned-orphanage, Simi's moral convictions and compassion lead him away from safety as he returns to the dangerous wilderness in search of other wandering and orphaned children. In the United States, a dedicated family man and runner, Christian, has his world turned upside down when his family is killed in a small plane crash. He learns of the war in Rwanda, and is drawn to the plight of the 100,000 orphans. Christian travels to Rwanda, where, by a twist of fate, he finds Simi and brings him to the United States as his adopted son after battling a number of unforeseen obstacles.Ten years later, Simi and Christian find themselves back in Rwanda, where, through circumstances not of their choosing, Simi runs the 2004 Olympic Trials in his native land, not the United States as he had hoped. Unexpectedly, they reunite with the school's teacher, Ruby, who has carried a torch for Christian much longer than ten years. In Greece, Simi competes at the Olympic Games, where he takes to the track against the greatest runner in the world - a Hutu.