Haunted by the sacrifices he made for his country and unrecognizable to even himself, Samuel Buchanan turned his back on his family. Instead of returning home to Texas following combat, he had chosen, instead, to lose himself in the wilds of Africa. After more than a year of working with his hands in the mud and dirt, he slowly discovered the man he had become. Disowned and exiled by her ethnically Chinese family, the broken and shamed Victoria Zhao had traveled to Africa as a nurse. Without the courage to take her own life, she had anticipated succumbing to one of the many dangers of the continent; however, Africa had given her will to live an opportunity to thrive. Settled, if not content, Victoria's world was altered completely the moment Samuel appeared at her remote post. Together, they discovered a new life, which took them, not only around the world, but back to the States, and, ultimately, Texas.