▁narr ator , ▁Ben ▁March and , ▁is ▁a ▁te en ager ▁who ▁is ▁the ▁son ▁of ▁a ▁general ▁command ing ▁an ▁anti - ter ror ism ▁unit . ▁At ▁the ▁comm enc ement ▁of ▁the ▁novel ▁he ▁is ▁waiting ▁in ▁his ▁room ▁at ▁Castle , ▁his ▁board ing ▁school , ▁for ▁his ▁mother ▁and ▁father ▁to ▁arrive . ▁Reference ▁is ▁made ▁to ▁his ▁having ▁been ▁shot ▁in ▁an ▁incident ▁on ▁a ▁bridge , ▁and ▁his ▁mother ▁occasionally ▁refers ▁to ▁him ▁as ▁" Mark ". ▁The ▁incident ▁on ▁the ▁bridge ▁is ▁the ▁event ▁expl ored ▁in ▁the ▁even ▁number ed ▁chap ters . ▁ ▁The ▁perspective ▁switch es ▁from ▁Ben ▁to ▁his ▁father , ▁General ▁Mark ▁March and , ▁who ▁left ▁his ▁son ' s ▁room ▁after ▁a ▁brief ▁conversation ▁and ▁came ▁back ▁to ▁find ▁it ▁empty . ▁The ▁general ▁reflect s ▁on ▁how ▁he ▁volunte ered ▁Ben ▁to ▁deliver ▁a ▁message ▁to ▁the ▁terror ists ▁on ▁the ▁bus . ▁Ben ▁is ▁subsequently ▁wounded ▁and ▁much ▁later , ▁bel ieving ▁himself ▁a ▁cow ard , ▁commits ▁suic ide ▁from ▁another ▁bridge ▁- ▁after ▁the ▁first ▁" de ath " ▁of ▁the ▁title . ▁ ▁The ▁last ▁odd - number ed ▁chapter ▁consists ▁of ▁apparent ▁convers ations ▁between ▁Ben ▁and ▁his ▁father , ▁which ▁reve al ▁that ▁the ▁boy ▁is ▁already ▁dead . ▁The ▁general ▁attempts ▁to ▁call ▁back ▁Ben ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁ask ▁for ▁ ▁forg iveness ▁for ▁making ▁use ▁of ▁his ▁sensitive ▁son ' s ▁perce ived ▁vulner ability ▁when ▁used ▁as