Amid the relentless challenges of daily life, which compel James to assist his single mother, Njeri, in providing for the family, he still manages to find time for schoolwork and playing with friends. At just 13 years old, he runs to school, runs on errands, runs to the river to fetch water—he runs everywhere. Not because he enjoys it, but out of sheer necessity. Over time, James grows faster and stronger.

At school, he wins more prizes and money in competitions, helping to support his struggling mother, as well as himself and his younger sister in their one-room mud house in the slums of central Kenya. But when an unavoidable accident robs him permanently of his eyesight, it deals a crushing blow to his promising running career. Under immense pressure, faced with life’s relentless hardships, and forced to adapt to a new way of living, James sinks into deep depression. He repeatedly contemplates suicide.

Will he overcome this darkness? How will he adjust to a life of total blindness? Can he ever run again? These are the agonising questions his mother and sister ask themselves as they fight to protect him—even from himself.