In the 1960s while visiting central Africa, Ken Mallory uncovers intriguing information surrounding his great-grandfather, Lucas Lindsay, who fought in the Barotseland Civil War of a century earlier. Delving deeper into the puzzle, Ken begins to identify with Lucas, setting to rest agonizing problems from his own recent past. Through the eyes of these two young men, different generations of the same family, Kindred Passage views the native wars of the 1860s, along with Africa's post-colonial era. Although living one hundred years apart, the similar dilemmas the Zambezi River country and its people impose on both men underscore the basically changeless nature of Africa.