When the British territory of Southern Rhodesia issues a unilateral declaration of independence (UDI) in 1965, it means freedom and hope for some; despair, fear, and death for others. The one thing certain is that nobody can escape the changes it will bring - least of all Joseph Mahoney, the last colonial commissioner in Kariba Gorge, who finds himself charged with a vast region thrown into turmoil as UDI becomes reality. With the assistance of Afrikaner naturalist Suzie de Villiers and his loyal Ndebele manservant Sampson, Mahoney finds himself struggling to see justice administered to all despite unsympathetic colonists, tribal intrigues, and a mounting rural insurgency. Meanwhile, Sampson finds himself torn between his commitment to ZAPU nationalists and his friendship with Joseph. After Mahoney settles permanently in Rhodesia on Suzie's farm, ZIPRA orders Sampson to bomb the homestead; the latter is appalled, and only carries out his attack when his employers are away.