Ngoza, in KwaZulu-Natal - South Africa's most turbulent province - is transformed when clan leader Baba Joshua dies and his headstrong daughter tackles the age-old shibboleths held by traditionalists and gangsters alike. The reluctant heroine of this novel, Zodwa, finds support from unlikely quarters. A disenchanted ex-ANC guerrilla and a dyed-in-the-wool white supremacist join forces with Zodwa to rid Ngoza of the terror wreaked by warlord Johnny M. and his henchmen. But the biggest battle she faces, in the midst of intrigue and ritual and routine violence, is with herself as she grapples with love and betrayal.