Emmanuel Mbamu struggles with guilt and hopelessness when he visits his polygamous family in Buruku, Cameroon. His father?s fifteen wives and 41 children barely survive as they eek out a living in the village. Emmanuel wins a scholarship to study in the US, but when his father dies, he must support the family. Working with Jean Pierre, a close family friend, Emmanuel is put in contact with corrupt local officials who help to get him to the US early so he can work illegally and send money home. The deal sours as his local sponsor begins pressuring Emmanuel for sex and threatening to turn in him to immigration. Freightened for his life, Emmanuel hides as university friends try to save him and clear up his immigration status. In a final confrontation with the traffickers, Emmanuel faces his own death and the possible collapse of his family.