At thirteen years old, Moon is easily swayed by his anger. Many things in his life send him into a rage. He wants to turn the basement of his home into a recording studio for his band, but his parents won’t allow it. Moon's parents are renowned doctors. They frequently assess patients from all over the globe at their hospital. One day, they accept a guest from Pakistan, a young boy the same age as Moon. His name is Ashraf. Ashraf was rescued from child labor and taken to America. He does not speak English, but he and Moon bond over their shared passion for music. Ashraf begins to attend the same school as Moon and they form a friendship. The man Ashraf used to work for hires a hit and run and kills Ashraf. Moon hears about the tragedy from a friend and listens to the tape recording of Ashraf playing the bongos. Moon brings the tape recording to school the next day, and everybody in the auditorium listens to Ashraf play the bongos.