Leaving the comfortable tranquility of life in a Nottinghamshire village, academically gifted Christian Henderson, the only child of high-achieving parents goes to university to study philosophy. Intoxicated by the joys of learning and wrestling with complex ideas, he believes he will progress to a career in academic research. Persuaded by a female student on his course to undertake some charitable work in Ghana during the summer holiday to help build a school, the experience of living in a rural community and interacting with its people challenges his values and beliefs, disrupts his sense of self and turns the course of his life in a completely different direction.