Walt and Saul Higgins are orphans; everything from the way they dress to the food that they eat is controlled by their ship leaders.

Walt watches as his mentally slow brother gets made fun of by a school teacher. He clenches his fists at the injustice of it all. He remembers holding his mother's hand while she was dying. He looked into the eyes that were so pretty before the disease. The whites had turned yellow and they looked swollen with bags of purple surrounding them. "Promise me that you'll take care of Saul. I won't be able to anymore." She asked. It was her dying wish. "I promise."
Now, a government sanction is threatening that promise. Walt and Saul Higgins are being forced to leave their home and travel down to a wild planet where hungry carnivores stalk the jungles. Natives with sharp teeth are on the lookout for two little boys. Despite his age, Walt must pick up his chin and lead his brother through dangerous terrain of the planet Mungus. He recites the promise made to his mother at night and prays that he doesn't let her down.