World War I has just erupted in East Africa, and Baroness Tanya von Brantburg is running intelligence missions for the British irregular forces, with which her husband, Isak, is fighting. Aiding Tanya are Hassan, her Somali manservant, and Kamau, her Kikuyu tribesman cook. Along the way, Tanya is targeted by her old acquaintance, the charming and cultured German Lieutenant-Colonel, Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, who wants her to betray the British. Just as dangerous is Hilary Gordon, a fellow soldier and old flame of Tanya's: Hilary is determined to win Tanya back. Facing all the hardships of military maneuvers in the African bush, Tanya must also confront her loyalties and her desires as her mission culminates in a life-changing rescue operation on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro.