A Big Hand for the Spirits

An ecologist on the run from a hit man joins up with a brilliant physicist struggling to reconcile his traditional African beliefs with science, an anesthetist dealing with a bad marriage, a physically powerful, but emotionally distraught river guide, and an enigmatic recovering drug addict who alternates wildly between reality and fantasy.

Together they travel overland from Vic Falls to Malawi, encountering many adventures, some intellectual, some fun, and some downright terrifying.

As they explore the power of their individual and collective unconscious, they discover that they are connected in unexpected ways and, through means both mystical and prosaic, work together to survive and achieve each other's goals.

The action, which includes wild white water rafting, tracking elephants, dabbling in witchcraft, catching snakes, and learning to dive, mirrors the characters' exploration of the nature of reality, time, and truth and whether there are, in fact, only three thousand people in the world.

The climax on the edge of Lake Malawi revolves around a dramatic performance of the Gule Wamkulu spirit dancers who may or may not be instrumental in bringing it all together.