The earth shakes like the fist of a revengeful tyrant despoiled of some precious jewel. Occurring beneath Max's feet is a physical turmoil he has never known. His island, his beloved birth land, is breaking before his very eyes. Max loses everything in the earthquake. A star soccer player no more. His life is turned upside down and inside out. His home. Gone. His parents. Gone. His brothers. Gone. His leg. His powerful leg that used to score penalty kicks with elegant swiftness. Gone. Ultimately, Max accepts the life of a disabled orphan with an angry grudge. He often peers out at the ocean shore, hoping to somehow commune with his family's souls and recall their love for him. Max's life takes a surprising turn when he meets with a rival soccer player, an island boy likewise orphaned by the earthquake. Although they fight, Max is given an ultimatum by the orphanage staff: Accept punishment or play soccer. Max reluctantly takes the latter. He is later outfitted with a curious prosthesis that lifts up his spirit in ways he had forgotten. Max begins to walk again. He begins to dream again. He begins to wonder if there is life beyond his loss. Miraculously, Max finds new life in soccer, a new loving family and a new country to call home