The Good Lie

"The Good Lie" begins with a group of children living a happy, carefree life in Sudan until rebel forces massacre their village. The surviving children are forced to flee and do their best to stick together as they attempt to walk to Kenya. On their journey, they encounter other refugees and walk hundreds of miles in search of a refugee camp. During their journey, Theo, the eldest and chief, sacrifices himself to rebel soldiers by stating he is alone while his brothers and sister hide in the tall grass. The tattered group eventually ends up in Kakuma, a refugee camp in Kenya, where they are reunited with several children they knew before the attack. Ultimately, four of the siblings--Mamere, Jeremiah, Paul, and their sister Abital--are chosen to go to the United States. The three young men end up in Kansas City while Abital is separated from her family and placed with a host family in Boston. The movie depicts the young men's struggles acclimating to their new life, such as adjusting to a vastly-different culture, exposure to drugs, and worrying about dangerous animals. Employment-agency counselor Carrie Davis assists them with job placement, helps them search for their sister, and becomes their closest friend and supporter. Each is hired for a job fairly suited to his skills: Mamere wants to study to be a doctor, Jeremiah is extremely religious and ultimately works with a church, and Paul likes to build and works in a factory. Carrie tracks down their sister Abital and adopts her. Abital receives a letter from Theo informing her that he is at the refugee camp in Kenya. Mamere travels to confirm Theo's identity and attempts to secure paperwork so he can travel back to the United States; as he's unsuccessful, he gives Theo his identity to travel to the U.S. while he stays behind to work at the refugee camp as a doctor.