The Introduction opens with the author and narrator, Kris Holloway, recounting the day she received word of her Peace Corps placement in Mali, a country in West Africa, on July 29, 1989. Only 21 years old and ready to leave her Midwestern roots behind, Holloway is eager for adventure and for the opportunity to make a difference in the world.

Holloway explains Mali’s historical background, especially its history in trade and its development from a series of small kingdoms to one unified kingdom in the 13th century, to its colonization by the French, to its rule under a military dictator from 1968 until 1991.

Mali has 11 million citizens, of which 90% are Muslim, 1% are Christian, and the remaining 9% are of various local faiths. Malian society is dominated by religion and nature, as the three-month rainy season often dictates whether the people in Mali will live or die. Rains mean planting and harvest, while a lack of rain means prayer and rebuilding.

The author is surprised by the conditions Malian women and children live in, especially in rural areas. Most women are married by age 18 and have seven children on average. The maternity mortality rate is among the top 10 in the world.