Maggie Grayson first discovers the dead body of a dark-skinned, African woman, working as a housekeeper in a small bed and breakfast hotel in Newport, Rhode Island. After reporting the murder to the police, she finds that the housekeeper has brought two children, an eight-year old girl and a two-year old boy, to America with her and Maggie is asked to take the two-year old, Affy, back to his family in South West Africa, now named Namibia. Traumatized by having witnessed the violent murder of his mother, the small boy goes into shock. Maggie's maternal instincts emerge as she forms an affectionate bond with the vulnerable child. Holding the brown boy in her white arms, Maggie's thoughts are flooded with images of racism in her own life and these questions permeate the book. In taking the boy to Africa to find his family, Maggie becomes caught up in the independence movement of the country and its struggle for freedom. She takes the train to a town located on the Skeleton Coast to deliver Affy to his family. On the train she meets an African man and becomes caught up with him as they barely escape with their lives when the train suddenly explodes.

As she begins to witness the stories of atrocities under the Apartheid system in the country, she inadvertently becomes associated with the rebel movement SWAPO which the CIA has labeled communist. Her actions lead her to sympathize with the victims of Apartheid and she becomes a target of the white, South African-dominated police.

A parallel drama is playing out back in Newport, Rhode Island, as the 8-year old girl, Ruby, who is white in contrast to Affy, goes missing. Three weeks go by without any signs of the girl. Maggie returns to Newport to help look for her and finds that clever Ruby has been hiding in an unusual place. Through surprising twists of fate, the story brings to light the forgotten struggles of Africa's indigenous people. In a spectacularly beautiful setting, Maggie also experiences dramatic encounters with Namibia's wildlife: zebras, elephants, kudus, and many more. Thrown into this adventure, Maggie's inner journey unfolds as she discovers her own courage in the tensions taking place in Namibia.