How could a recently orphaned, 10-year old homeless South African boy ever be called Lucky? Over his mother's grave, Lucky vows to make something of himself. Leaving the security of his remote Zulu village for the big city with the hope of going to school, he arrives on the doorstep of an uncle who has no use for him. Lucky then meets Padma, an elderly Indian woman with an inherent fear of Africans, who takes him in like a stray dog. Unable to speak each other's languages, they develop an unlikely bond. Through an odyssey marked by greed, violence, and, ultimately, belonging, Lucky shows how a child's spirit can bring out decency, humility and even love in adults struggling to survive in the new South Africa.