"Having failed his examinations at college, Medza returns to his village in the Southern Cameroons in some trepidation. But to his surprise he finds that as a scholar (even a failed one) his prestige is immense. A young woman has run off with a man from another tribe: so Medza is entrusted with the delicate task of retrieving her. When he reaches her village he has to wait for her return from another adventure, so he stays with his uncle, who passes him off as a prodigy of learning. Medza is entertained, loaded with gifts (most of which his uncle filches), consulted like an oracle, and even---much to his surprise---married. But his stay in Kala has to come to an end and he returns to his own part of the country only to find himself unable to come to terms with his family and their way of life."--Back cover.