A well-dressed young woman disembarks in Port Banana in Belgian Congo with her two small children. She is there to meet her husband Andre, who is established in Ruanda-Urundi, the land of the tall lords and their sacred cows. An enterprising businessman, Andre had bought land to grow quinine, a miracle cure for malaria. The journey home takes them across the Congo. Adapting to Rwanda is challenging for his wife and children. The youngest, Elsa, acts out and becomes unmanageable, even at school. It is decided to exile her to a convent in Europe; years of loneliness ensue. When she returns home years later, she plots revenge on the teacher who caused her exile. Suddenly, life changes. All Europeans are repatriated, losing everything they built. Elsa discovers she is free from all attachment. Her roots are no longer planted in the same ground; they are now planted where she chooses—freedom.