A Polish Jewish boy named Romek (Haley Joel Osment) finds out from his dad about Catholics so that the boy, went sent away, will be able to avoid possibly being deported to a concentration camp. He hides out in the country with Gniecio (Olaf Lubaszenko) and his family of peasants and pretends to be related to them. The oldest boy, Vladek (Richard Banel), is very pushy, while the younger boy, Tolo (Liam Hess), plays Jesus in a catechism class play and even gets ready for a mock crucifixion. Then neighbors are killed by Nazis, and the people must face the horrors of war head-on.