MN

Will’s abrupt decision to leave his medical practice in Atlanta and take up a new job in Virginia Beach catches Laura by surprise. But moving back to their hometown was always going to be complicated, since Will never told his family about their eight-year marriage. Still fresh in their minds is the stinging memory of Laura’s disastrous first meeting with his parents, particularly his mother - for whom a white daughter-in-law is an anathema.

As the 1950s' Mau Mau war breaks out in the foothills of Mt. Kenya, Wambũi, a 14-year-old girl, leaves her besieged village to join a prestigious boarding school, a half day’s journey away by train. There, she becomes aware of her extraordinary mathematical abilities discovered by her teacher Eileen Atwood. Initially, Wambũi views Eileen’s attentions with suspicion and hostility, but over time, the two grow close and form a lifelong friendship.