Plot summary

As the German Wehrmacht advances on the hammered Eastern Front during the dark years of World War II, the 12-year-old orphan of war, Ivan Bondarev, insists on performing covert operations and reconnaissance missions for the Soviet Army, after the brutal death of his family by the Nazis. Surrounded by the horrors and the madness of war, young Ivan is cared for almost as a son by Lieutenant-Colonel Gryaznov and Captain Leonid Kholin--who for fear of the boy's safety--attempt to get the cherished scout away from the enemy lines and in the safety of a military school. But the inflexible Ivan thirsts to avenge the death of his parents and begs for another mission behind the front lines. Will Ivan ever find freedom in a dangerous world?—Nick Riganas