After decades of British rule Kenya has declared its independence, but drought and poor harvests still govern the village of Ilmorog. Undeterred, Munira, Karega, Wanja and Abdulla each move to Ilmorog in search of a more provincial life, only to find themselves suspects in a crime that signals a dark turning of the times.

A classic of modern African literature, Ngugi wa Thiongos damning satire of politics and corruption in Kenya would prove the catalyst for his imprisonment by the Kenyan government.

Ngugi wa Thiongois one of the leading writers and scholars at work in the world today. His books include the novelsPetals of Blood, for which he was imprisoned by the Kenyan government in 1977,A Grain of WheatandWizard of the Crow;the memoirs,Dreams in a Time of War,In the House of the InterpreterandBirth of a Dream Weaver;and the essays,Decolonizing the Mind,Something Torn and NewandGlobalectics.Recipient of many honours, among them ten honorary doctorates, he is currently Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Irvine.