In the volcano-ringed hills around Lake Kivu in Central Africa, Mary is raped by rebel soldiers. She is initially rejected by her family and her fiancé, and then stories begin to circulate that she can perform miracles. Hundreds of women from nearby villages line up outside her home every day, hoping to be cured. Mary shares her own story of rape with no one - until the arrival of Keith Masterson, an American journalist who reports on the conflict in the region. Keith has his own troubled past, one that follows him from his childhood to Africa, and one that Mary understands.