A young boy who lost his home during the war, Amiro now lives in an abandoned ship. He spends his days working odd jobs, until he realizes that the only way that he can realize his dreams is by enrolling in school. Hungry for knowledge and anxious to learn everything, his unusual background puts him in conflict with the other students. A competition at school puts him in a race with his peers. The story of a 12-year-old orphan who will do anything to earn a buck on Iran′s mean streets, The Runner is a semi-autobiographical account of Naderi′s own tumultuous youth, told in neo- neo-realistic style before it became fashionable in Iran. The Runner made Naderi a festival star, and landed Iran a spot on the world cinema map.