Thea, a young American woman, has a passion – an innate desire to serve as a missionary in West Africa. Her longing takes her to Burkina where her Christian mission of establishing a church can become a reality. Her experiences start to mold her, to shape her into something she doesn’t recognize. Thea’s profound involvement in the every-day lives of the villagers gains trust from the people and the reality of human suffering makes Thea doubt her christian roots and deep faith in God. In the village of Kongoussi, Theo also meets a Muslim physician and falls in love. Together, they strive to fulfill the desires of the villagers. The tribes needs are great and it further weighs on Thea. This touching love story around the enlightening of human need and pain brings Thea to a life-altering decision. Will she keep her faith alive or will these realizations pull her away from her Christian upbringing forever.
The author paints an unusual picture of someone who had a dream of long-standing, and found that the reality of the situation was not what she expected. Many a young person has had high aspirations and found that working them out was a challenge of ideals and faith. The lead character’s progress toward her personal fulfillment was not what she planned, but what she felt she must do. Facing her choices honestly took courage and a strong sense of purpose.