Esther is one of 139 schoolgirls abducted by warlord Joseph Kony and forced to become a child soldier. Though she eventually returns home she must then attempt to reconcile herself with all that she has seen, done, and suffered. Told in parallel we learn of Jane, an American writer who goes to Africa to find herself after her marriage fails. Minot weaves their stories together to examine suffering and loss in a suspenseful, heart-rending novel.
