Shu is a typical Japanese boy who carries an unbeatable, optimistic, and determined spirit. When he spots a mysterious girl named Lala‑Ru, her eyes strange and eerie, up on a smokestack, he is pulled into a strange desert world. There, he confronts the true horrors of war: genocide, brutal torture, hunger, thirst, and the exploitation of children. Now Shu strives to rescue Lala‑Ru and his hard‑earned, often reluctant, new friends from the tyrannical dictator Hamdo. Whether he can save those he cares about while staying true to his values remains to be seen.