Growing up on a remote farm in the vast African veld, young Bertie feels completely isolated from the world until he makes an extraordinary discovery. He finds and rescues a rare, orphaned white lion cub, and the two quickly become inseparable best friends. But their perfect world is shattered when Bertie is sent far away to a strict boarding school in England, and his beloved lion is sold to a French circus. Though oceans separate them, Bertie makes a solemn vow that he will never forget his incredible friend and that they will one day be reunited. Years later, as the chaos of the First World War sweeps across Europe, Bertie joins the army and stumbles into a chance encounter that could fulfill his childhood promise. This beautifully moving story explores an unbreakable bond between a boy and a wild animal that defies time and distance.