One descendant is the South African Dirk Hendricks, the new husband of security consultant Max Stafford's friend Alix.

The other is the recently discovered Henry Hendrix, a young California beach bum, who is tracked down by down-on-his-luck private detective Ben Hardin.

Stafford, for his own reasons, is interested in this mysterious windfall, and the strange clause in the will stating that the heirs must spend one month of every year in Kenya.

Suspicious that the man claiming to be Henry Hendrix is an imposter and that the college is not what it seems leads Max Stafford to visit Kenya.

The violent reaction to his arrival in Kenya points to a sinister and far-reaching conspiracy far beyond mere greed.