Set in Nigeria during the 1960s and the wartime period of the Biafran-War, the novel follows three central characters: Ugwu, a village boy who becomes a houseboy for a university professor; Olanna, the professor’s partner who leaves privilege behind; and Richard, a shy English writer enamoured with Olanna’s sister. As the war unfolds — with famine, betrayal, death and upheaval — their lives and loyalties are tested, and the broader themes of colonialism, race, class and love are woven deeply into the personal stories.