On a dark night in Lusaka, Zambia, an adolescent girl is brutally assaulted. In shock, she cannot speak. Her identity is a mystery. Where did she come from? Was the attack a random street crime or a premeditated act? The girl’s case is taken up by Zoe Fleming, a human rights lawyer working in Africa. A betrayal in her own past gives the girl’s plight a special resonance for Zoe, and she is determined to find the perpetrator and seek justice.

Also investigating on behalf of the Zambian police is Joseph Kabuta. At first reluctant to work together, they team up. Yet their progress is thwarted at every turn and it soon becomes clear that their opponents are every bit as powerful and determined as they are corrupt.