As the country of Nigeria begins to fall apart under a military coup, Fifteen-year-old Kambili and her older brother Jaja are sent away from their privileged life in Enugu to their aunt, a university professor outside the city, where they discover a life beyond the confines of their father's authority.

Books cram the shelves, curry and nutmeg permeate the air, and their cousins' laughter rings throughout the house. When they return home, tensions within the family escalate, and Kambili must find the strength to keep her loved ones together.