The book is basically a boys' adventure story set in a very adult world. It offers an insight into the deprivation suffered by African youths, who bear the brunt of the social aggravation caused by the leadership of many of the continent's nations. Tito, the main character of the story is among the lucky minority privileged to find an escape from the quagmire by virtue of natural ability - in his case, football - and fate. However, he runs into a gridlock of events in alien Europe caused by culture shock, discrimination and crime, often making him wish he were back in his squalid habitat. The beautiful game of football and its big-time European variety is the vehicle in which the characters in the book travel through a landscape of love, hate, rivalry, camaraderie, sadness and joy.