"The Recruit" begins with eleven-year-old James Choke in his combined science class in his first term of secondary school, where he accidentally slashes classmate Samantha Jennings' face with a nail on the wall after she teases him about his mother's obesity. He shoves his teacher over and runs home, an offence he is later expelled for, to find his stepfather Ronald "Ron" Onions visiting his mother, Gwen Choke. He goes back to school to pick up his nine-year-old half-sister, Lauren Onions and they eat dinner at a local burger bar. They return home to find Ron gone and Gwen asleep, with multiple missed calls from the school on her phone and a note from the Deputy Head Teacher pushed under the door. Later that night, James discovers that his mum has died, which he later finds out is due to her consuming alcohol while taking painkillers. James is sent to a children's home called Nebraska House, where he shares a room with thirteen-year-old CHERUB agent Kyle Blueman. Lauren, however, is taken to live with her father Ron, who dislikes James and doesn't allow him to visit her. Contrary to Kyle's advice, James befriends Rob Vaughn and his friends. A few weeks later, on his twelfth birthday, James is called in to the police station, where he receives a caution for assaulting Samantha Jennings and his teacher, Cassandra Voolt. Later that night, Rob and his cronies convince him to steal a pack of beer from an off-licence. The shopkeeper catches him after two of Rob's cronies block the door, preventing James from escaping. He is escorted to the police station, where he is placed in a cell and his statement recorded.