A freed slave escapes his bad debts in New Orleans by stowing away on a slave ship en route to Africa.

"11-year-old Kofi Offin dreams of water. Its mysterious, immersive quality. The rich, earthy scent of the current. The clearness, its urgent whisper that beckons with promises and secrets. Kofi has heard the call on the banks of Upper Kwanta, in the village where he lives. He loves these things above all else: his family, the fireside tales of his father's father, a girl named Ama, and, of course, swimming. Some say he moves like a minnow, not just...

"A story based on accounts of an incident in South Carolina of Igbo resistance to slavery."--