THE RIVER BETWEEN explores life in the mountainous villages of Makuyu and Kameno in Kenya during the early days of white settlement. Confronted with a new, enticing religion and "magical" customs, the Gikuyu people are torn between those who fear the unknown and those who see beyond it. Some follow Joshua and his passionate form of Christianity, while others take pride in their tribal independence. At the center of this division stands Waiyaki, a devoted visionary born from a generation of prophets. He struggles to educate the tribe—a mission he views as the only unifying link between the two factions—but his plans for the future raise issues that will determine both his survival and that of the Gikuyu.