In 1862, William and Elizabeth Darmon escape from Zanzibar, crossing hostile territory to Lake Victoria. Pursued by ruthless slavers, they flee to Niam Niam country in Darkest Africa. There, William is forced on a desperate mission to save his wife from cannibals. Upon his return, he discovers evidence that she has been sold as a slave to the Arab Rashid family in Hayil across the Red Sea. His chase ends in a disaster beyond imagination, with redemption dependent upon solving Emir Talal's demise.