Amid the smouldering tension of impending civil war, Pete Ogwu and his wife Teresa are forced to flee their home in western Nigeria, leaving behind a baby son and their housemaid. Adopted by Madam Cash, Femi grows up to be an idealistic socialist writer, convinced that he is destined for greatness. Bimbo, the result of a fetish union between Ogwu and a local madwoman, endures domestic brutality and prostitution, eventually seeking solace and redemption in a local religious group. Ogwu, by now a famous televangelist and founder of the fastest-growing Pentecostal church in Nigeria wants to help but ends up being involved. Set against a backdrop of religious fervour, the intertwined lives of these family members are inexorably drawn to a shocking conclusion.