A murderer returns to Africa, seeking atonement for killing an innocent. Now that Carlos has emptied out his life, his past torments him. He can’t go forward until he goes back—to Ghana—to own up to crimes he committed as a young man. A woman escapes poverty in Africa, but is trapped in a life supporting those she left behind. Liz left Ghana and is now a successful career woman in the USA. Freed from the daily oppression of scarcity, she remains under the vice-grip power of her hoarding mother and needy siblings. Their lives cross… and each are drawn back to the Black Volta River, to relive harrowing events that transformed them. The River knows their secrets. But can it transform their lives again? Deeply embroidered, utterly believable, the rich tapestry of Ghana—and its startling evolution over three decades—serve as the backdrop for this powerful story about race, love, patriarchy, and personal identity.