Afghanistan in the 1970s: twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the local kite-flying tournament and his loyal friend Hassan promises to help him. What happens to Hassan that afternoon will shatter their lives... After the Russians invade and the family is forced to flee to America, Amir realises that one day he must return, to find the one thing that his new world cannot grant him: redemption. Since its publication in 2003, The Kite Runner has sold 8 million copies worldwide.