January 1999. George Coleridge-Taylor, retired Sierra Leonean diplomat, finds himself trapped in Fourah Bay College when the civil war that has been ravaging the country reaches Freetown. In hiding, he reflects on his and his country’s stories, wondering if he dares defend the woman captured by the fearsome rebels. His imagination takes him to more peaceful climes, where he sings the beautiful songs of his famous uncle, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.