As the 1950s Mau Mau war breaks out in the foothills of Mt. Kenya, Wamb?i, a fourteen-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, Wamb?i views Eileen's attentions with suspicion and hostility, but over time, the two grow close and form a lifelong friendship. Unfortunately for Wamb?i, the mid-twentieth century isn't ready for a female math prodigy, particularly in Kenya. But she quietly and defiantly takes on the obstacles seeking to define her, applying her unusual gifts in new directions, which ultimately benefits her impoverished family and inspires her siblings and their children to pursue their own dreams. After forty years in Kenya, Eileen unexpectedly loses her employment authorization and is forced to return to England, where she struggles to adjust to living in a country she barely recog...