On a quest to pursue further studies, Kumato, a respectable son from Molumbu village in Cameroon, wins a Fulbright Scholarship to study in the United States. While his father welcomes this great news with pride—for his son to study abroad—his mother laments the loss of her only son to Western cultural values. Abroad, Kumato's conflicting emotions about the United States continue to haunt him. He becomes torn between respecting the traditions of his people and adhering to the emotional turmoil that tears him apart. Moreover, he falls passionately in love with Susan, a beautiful, blonde, white American.She left Washington, DC, to pursue a medical career in Carbondale, Illinois. Will Kumato forfeit his promise to his mother? Will Kumato's and Susan's love stand the test of time? From the hills and valleys of Molumbu village to the campus of Southern Illinois University, The Taboo Promise shares an unusual American love story set in the late 1970s, a story that unfolds against a backdrop of interracial love, tolerance, and acceptance.