Tonderai, a young Zimbabwean boy in a South African township, waits for his mother to come home after dark. Tonight, a xenophobic mob is tearing through the streets, and he is terrified she will not make it back. Inside their shack, he watches over his gravely ill little brother, bedridden and desperate for water. There is no running water, so Tonderai must slip out into the night and creep to the communal tap, keeping to the shadows, risking his life among neighbours who are hunting foreigners.

On the way, he meets Xolani, a local boy who is rude to him at first, parroting the prejudice he has been taught. Still, Tonderai wins him over with a small act of kindness. Xolani’s mother sees them together and explodes. She blames Tonderai for the community’s problems, then drives a knife into his bucket, puncturing it and ruining the water.

Tonderai races home and finds his brother collapsed. He panics, shaking him, until it is revealed to be a childish game. Then comes a knock. The mob storms in, led by Sizwe, who accuses Tonderai of hurting a girl. Tonderai pleads innocence, but Sizwe spits venom, calling him a future parasite. They force a tyre around his neck, ready to burn him, until Xolani steps in. Sizwe attacks him, but the mob hesitates. They recognise Xolani as “one of ours.” Sizwe releases Tonderai with a warning.

Inside, they find the brother truly unconscious. Xolani brings water. They splash him awake. The boys cling to each other, shaken. Tonderai looks up. His mother stands in the doorway. He breathes, “Mother.”