TWO TINY NEWBORNS WERE BURIED ALIVE IN A COMPOST PIT, covered with corn husks and left to die. A hungry wild dog, saliva flowing, stood impatiently over the mound. As it started to dig out its prey, an escaped slave whooshed it away. Drawn by the sound of a weak human cry, the runaway cautiously approached the mournful whimper. What could provoke a new mother to bury her twin babies alive? A will to protect her children from the inescapable pain and horror of becoming chattel to an evil South African plantation owner.

• Shiya, a white newborn rescued from an intended grave, who lives five idyllic years in the bush before she is captured, tormented, and eventually freed.
• Anele, the black runaway slave who saves Shiya's life and suffers the consequences for the rest of her days.
• Alan Hallworthy, the wealthy, cruel plantation owner who lusts for the bodies of young girls, even that of his own five-year-old daughter.
• Brianna, Shiya's modern-day daughter who is mystified by her mother’s secrets and never stops trying to reveal the truth.

Lucia Mann's story exposes South Africa's crimes against humanity during and after British colonial rule. It takes you through a roller coaster of emotions as it describes South Africa from post-WWII to the modern day.