Millions of dollars are up for grabs, it seems, for relatives of Marcie Dougal-Quentin. Motivation for the liquidation of a large part of her assets were obscure to Daniel. He resented being drawn from his development of innovative 3-D chip technology to attend the quest's launch, but family ties prevailed. One positive for Daniel was meeting Naomi, Marcie's unofficial ward.
Trying to combine marketing his revolutionary microchip with keeping in contact with Naomi meant Daniel had to feign interest in the quest. It soon became apparent that Naomi had a genuine Christian faith. It was the one thing that Daniel found disagreeable. He tried to avoid confronting something he believed had divided his family. The tension between his growing affection for Naomi and his distaste for a faith that exacted self-sacrifice grew as they travelled to the west coast, to Great Britain, Australia, and finally Somaliland.
The journey to Hargeisa was predicated on the knowledge that it was not the inheritance but his secret circuit processes which had endangered their lives and now threatened his father's safety. What culminated in that far flung outpost where Christian mission work was helping support persecuted refugees put Naomi and Daniel's lives in jeopardy. The incessant threats and physical challenges brought both near to breaking point.