A chance meeting in South Africa, in the middle of nowhere, changes everything for American Peace Corp worker Mandy Walker. When the taxi she is riding in runs out of petrol, she and her companion are stranded alongside a country road with their fellow passengers, all of whom are Zulu. While they wait for help, friendships develop as they share problems and stories--and Mandy finds herself drawn to 8-year-old Jabulani, an AIDS orphan. She determines to help the boy, but what she proposes to do is not an easy road to follow; she faces legal and logistical problems, and much opposition. There is one person who supports her though--a lawyer whom she meets in Durban. Meeting him adds to her dilemma and she is torn by conflicting loyalties.