Mexico City, 1846. Trouble is on the horizon. The United States’ government, confident in the idea of Manifest Destiny, intends to conquer territory long claimed by Mexico.

Six very different young men-Bara, Fernando, Juan, Francisco, Vicente, and Agustin-are caught up in the normal drama of youth: school, clashes with parents, rebellious schemes, and budding romances, even as they unknowingly careen toward a violent but glorious fate.

The forces of U.S. president James Polk approach the ancient Castle of Chapultepec, and the story of these young tin soldiers becomes legend as they fight for their nation’s honor with bravery, vigor, and sacrifice in the bloody, but often forgotten, Mexican-American War.

The war tests friendships and alliances, and even famed American general, Zachary Taylor, will come to question Polk’s justification for war. Mexicans and Americans have the same desire for freedom, security, and opportunity. As President Harry Truman said on a 1947 visit to Mexico, one hundred years after the war’s end, Brave men don’t belong to any one country.

Written in the vein of The Red Badge of Courage, Tin Soldiers is an intimate portrait of young men at war.