It is three years since Duka left home to marry a man she had never met, and she now has two children. Her ambitious husband Sago's aspirations to become rich are thwarted by drought, rising prices, and the never-ending demands of his grasping relatives. Meanwhile Duka's cousin is preparing for his coming of age, which requires Duka be ritually beaten until her back bleeds. But a sudden death in the family puts the ceremony in jeopardy, and Sago must find a solution.

• Veronika Hyks
• Glynis Brooks