The book explores the qualities needed to survive in a hostile environment (particularly by a woman), coming-of-age, and the availability of spiritual guidance.

After experiencing trouble with a cholera epidemic, a leopard, and an arranged marriage proposed by a false witch doctor, she flees with her dying grandmother's blessings, some gold nuggets, and her meager survival skills.

Nhamo steals a boat and supplies under her grandmother's instructions and uses the river as her road to Zimbabwe, where she faces the threat of hippos, crocodiles, and other animals trying to kill her, while dealing with the pressures of becoming a woman.

[4] What should have been a two-day boat trip across the border to her father's family in Zimbabwe spans a year in which Nhamo faces starvation and the threat of hungry or aggressive animals.

Daily conversations with spirits combat Nhamo's loneliness and provide her with sage and practical advice.