Thirteen-year-old Cleveland Jones accompanies his father to Africa where Mr. Jones has been hired to teach chemistry and biology at an Episcopal high school in Johannesburg. While their flight is refueling in Sierra Leone, Cleveland is kidnapped by members of the Revolutionary Army and separated from his father. He later escapes and spends the next six months making his way alone through the jungles. This inner-city kid from Newark, New Jersey learns helpful lessons from the natives he meets and the wild animals he encounters as he maneuvers across the terrain. Even though his journey is often treacherous, Cleveland uses intuition and personality to push forward through the unknown.