The setting resembles recent conflicts in Rwanda and Liberia where the government has been overthrown by insurgents and racial and tribal tensions are being fanned.
It is told from two points of view – Laokolé, a sixteen-year-old girl about to sit her final exams and the titular Johnny, a young rebel about the same age.
Johnny on the other hand is excited for the upcoming looting, feeling triumphant and ready to get his due.
They find some respite in a UN compound but the organisation is crowded and eventually the foreign workers are evacuated, leaving the local population alone.
The two stories converge with the author bringing Laokolé and Johnny together, with a semi-happy but hopeful end.