Join Amith as he heads on a quest to become a hero to save one of his most beloved family members. How to be a Hero is a magical realism tale about a young, brash little boy named Amith. He and his best friend Shaneel play together in the streets of their isolated, poverty-stricken village in India. They sneak through alleyways and sit on top of walls to get glimpses of movies that inspire their clever fantasies. Because, in their minds, they are not kids, they are heroes. So they dream like only children can, imagining stories and creating wondrous illusions of being heroes just to escape the sickness and death that surround them. But then, death makes its presence felt, as someone very close becomes ill, and the kids once imagined skills are put to the real test. After being inspired by a movie that they think is real, they venture out into the foreboding Indian Jungle to find the Holy Grail to cure them of their troubles.

But they are not alone. Accompanying them is a lonely, love-stricken, relentless little girl, named Karishma, who leads them into the depths of the darkness. And it is in this abyss-like mysterious and unending jungle where they are taken to their very limits. Friendships are on the line, bravery is put to the test, and love plays its dirty tricks, as the very real danger of reality surfaces and the kids are forced to suffer the consequences of their actions. Hopes, dreams, truth, and regret fill their minds, as they realize they are the most fragile creatures in the jungle, and they must each find out what it truly means to be a hero.