1939. White South Africa is a deeply divided nation, with many of the Afrikaner people fanatically opposed to the British. The world is on the brink of war, and South Africa elects to fight for the Allied cause against Germany. Young Tom Fitzsaxby is living in a remote orphanage in the mountains, where the Afrikaners side fiercely with Hitler. His English name is enough to ostracise him, and so some tough life lessons begin for the small lonely boy. Like the whitethorn, one of Africa's most enduring plants, Tom learns how to survive in the harsh climate of racial hatred. Then a terrible event sends him on a journey to ensure that justice is done. One the way, his most unexpected discovery is love.